Best Indoor Plants

In the 21^st century, humans have progressed a lot in technology, lifestyle, luxury, comfort, etc. These advances in modern lifestyle have unknowingly introduced toxicity in our homes, in fact, modern furnishing, synthetic building materials, paints, or even your carpets have more chemicals than expected. (Best Indoor Plants)

In order to have a standard and comfortable lifestyle, we disregard the fact that indoor airflow is very important for having a healthy physical and mental state. Lack of airflow allows this indoor air pollution and then eventually leads to severe diseases like asthma.

In 1989, NASA conducted a study in which they found that some plants have the ability to absorb harmful toxins from the air, especially in enclosed situations where airflow is very little. According to NASA, we should have two to three plants for every hundred square feet of area.

A few years later, another independent study concluded to know the efficiency of these plants to actually purify the air. This study illuminated the fact that, although these plants do purify the air, the rate of purification is rather too slow to make a difference.

This is a bummer right! Still, having these plants in your home will not be a loss at all. You will create a more positive space, more vibrant and friendly, and it will look more natural. Although we have air purifiers, which can purify the air effectively and accurately, plants are more natural, cost-effective, and therapeutic.

A home is something that people build with a lot of ambition and love. A home is a place where a person feels relaxed and peace at the same time. If you have made a lot of sacrifices, just to create a perfect living space then you understand the need to make its look beautiful. That’s an aspect which we all are worried and sceptical about.

We all want to make our home outstanding and unique, but with an affordable budget too. That’s the area where indoor plants are great to provide this service. There are a variety of plants to choose from, starting from small shrubs to tall woody miniature trees.

You just need to pick something according to your personality that resembles your attitude and compliments your interior accents. Indoor plants offer a wide variety of color combinations that would just blow your mind. So let’s take a look at some of the best indoor plants loved and appreciated throughout the world.

1. English Ivy (Hedera helix)

These are stately elegant plants that are scientifically known as Hedera helix. These beautiful perennial woody climbers are recognized by their aggressive spreading. They are usually small in height around 8-9 inches from the ground but can spread out to about 100 ft.

When they are at their peak of maturity, they produce yellow-green flowers which become blueberries in spring. They are very popular and controversial at the same time because people believe that they produce toxins that can hurt your pets.

Although NASA found that English Ivy is quite capable of reducing formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene. English Ivy’s are quite elegant plants, and they look beautiful.

2. Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii)

Bamboo Palm endorses your interiors and effectively enhances the beauty of your home. A perennial, and a natural air purifier, bamboo palm ensures that your home is free of carbon monoxide and formaldehyde. It is mainly loved because of its hard long stems and beautiful leaves which spread out like a waterfall.

If you are a novice into gardening, you don’t have to worry at all because bamboo palms are very easy to maintain. They do not have any unusual requirements that are not part of the usual plant care routine.

3. Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)

Most popular for their tropical foliage, Chinese Evergreens are very common house plants or outdoor pot plants. A perennial herb with dark green leaves and dark green woody stems, which purifies the air inside your home and makes your home feel natural.

They are very slow-growing plants so you don’t have to bother much about space, you can just place them on your table or workstation and enhance the beauty of your living space naturally.

Chinese Evergreens can filter out formaldehyde and carbon monoxide from the air so, you get a clean and fresh environment in your home. These plants are very cold-sensitive, so it requires warm places to have healthy growth. Just water them when the upper soil is dry and you are good to go.

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4. Gerbera Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)

Justifying its popularity throughout the world, the gerbera daisy is an elegant, magnificent plant with mesmerizing colorful flowers. It is one of the most popular ornamental plants in the world because of its tongue-shaped lobbed leaves and daisy like beautiful flowers. It complements the interiors of your house and gives it a fresh natural angle that is mesmerizing to the eyes.

The flowers are seen in a wide range of variable colors like red, yellow, orange, etc., and are about 4-5 inches in diameter. Gerberas are small plants with a maximum height of around 60cm which is appropriate for indoor conditions. They not only make your home look beautiful but clean its surrounding air by removing benzene and trichloroethylene. So, you get a beautiful home with natural accents and prevent carcinogens to cause you cancer.

5. Dragon Tree (Dracaena marginata)

Justifying its name correctly Dragon Tree has sharp pointy leaves just like a dragon’s teeth. Leaves of dragon trees are very beautiful with red-colored edges, and small plants with these features look astonishing when grown in a pot inside your home.

It is an indestructible plant that requires minimum time and care because they are drought resistant. A beautiful and slow-growing plant dragon tree blooms small white flowers which look is perfect for enhancing your home beauty.

The air-cleaning properties of this plant are high because it can remove most of the harmful indoor pollutants from the air around them. It removes formaldehyde, benzene, and ammonia from the air inside your house.

6. Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum ‘Mauna Loa’)

A bold plant having a character that defines beauty in a rustic manner. Peace Lily is known for its big elliptical leaves. This plant is unpredictable because it blooms in an unusual manner with each flower having a long spadix surrounded by petal like leaf called spathe.

Good for benzene removal, and increase levels of humidity in your house. Peace lily creates a peaceful environment which results in a better way of living and improves your lifestyle. Its beautiful white flowers resonate with positivity all around your house.

This helps you to breathe better and creates a state of peace around your entire home, which helps you to get a relaxing sleep.

7. Mother-in-Law’s Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Laurentii’)/ Snake plant

It is very popularly known for its name. This plant is famous for its twisted dark green leaves with yellow edges. A succulent, with drought-resistant nature, this plant is absolutely a lottery ticket for beginners.

It is usually a small plant, it removes benzenes and formaldehyde from the air, making it breathable and free of pollutants. The long leathery leaves make it appealing rather than its flowers that may appear if you are lucky.

This plant is an absolute bargain if you are looking to enhance your interior accents. They are not hard to maintain, you just need a pot and some soil in it and you are ready to go. Since they are succulents, they do not require a lot of water to grow. Just occasional watering is enough for them to grow.

8. Pot Mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium)

Everlasting flowering is one of the most attractive features of this plant. These flowers are long-lasting which makes it very easy to create a happy environment to live in. They are so easy to handle, they do not require any special care. You can use it as a gift for others or as a gift to yourself, either way, you will have a mesmerizing experience if you choose this plant.

It is available in a variety of colors, and you can choose according to your personality and the way you want to express your home. They are very popular as pot plants, as they are small and clumpy. They look amazing with decorative pots in your home.

9. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)

One of the pioneers of adaptation, the spider plant is the easier option to go with. Generally known for their adaptability, these plants are very easy to grow and require minimum attention. The most attractive part of this plant is the leaf, which dangles out like spider legs, so the name is totally justified.

It is good for removing formaldehyde and carbon monoxide from indoor. The spider plant creates a mood that is soothing and relaxing at the same time.

These plants can handle every bad situation you throw at them, they are that easy to grow, which makes them the perfect candidate for new gardeners. You will get a cleaner home, a better life experience and a beautiful interior if you go with this plant.

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10. Mass Cane (Dracaena fragrans ‘Massangeana’)

It is also known as a corn plant. Mass cane plant is known for its long green leaves with light yellow stripes running throughout the end. These plants are cold-sensitive, so you have to keep them away from cold spaces and open windows.

They create a fresh environment, by removing formaldehyde from the air. These plants are too good for enjoying your morning coffee sitting around them in a totally relaxed mental state. Mass canes make your home vibrant and pop out the best feature and details of your interior.

11. Rubber Tree (Ficus elastica)

This world is grateful for the product of this plant which is considered one of the most important inventions of entire human history. If you are looking for a tough but easy house plant, a rubber tree is the one for you. Known for its tough and woody nature, this plant can attain staggering heights within a year.

Their shiny broad leaves look great for a moist home, and they can fill up your empty corner just in a few days. Proper maintenance can limit its height, making it easier to fit indoors, but it requires a spacious home. It is one of the very best house plants for cleaning the air.

12. Lemon Button Fern (Nephrolepis cordifolia)

Most people do not like ferns because they are too delicate to handle, and requires a professional touch, but lemon button fern is different. It is famous for its leaves, which looks like small button weaved in a string. This plant is good for a novice and a master gardener, as it doesn’t require special treatment as compared to its sister ferns. Many people use them in the vivarium as a companion to their amphibians and tropical animals.

They provide clean oxygen and remove toxins from the air around them. They don’t have any special needs, just don’t overflood and keep it in low light spaces, and it will bloom.

13. Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)

It is an Asian plant that is considered as the easiest to grow. Pothos is known for its beautiful patterned leaves. Basically, it’s a climber. It will climb vertically if you provide support which makes it very easy to handle and grow inside your home.

It doesn’t have any special needs either, just put it anywhere you want and enjoy clean air with beauty right in front of your eyes. It is also known as devil’s ivy.

14. Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea elegans)

One of the most ancient indoor plants is Parlor Palm. Parlor Palm is loved for its clustered form and stem covered with its light-textured leaves. They love dark temperate places and low water. If you give them too much water, they will die.

They look amazing with their spread out lustrous leaves. They are very easy to maintain as well which makes it a winner in home environments and they sieve out benzene from the air too.

15. Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis Miller )

Aloe vera is an amazing indoor plant, and one of the most useful plants known to man till date. Aloe Vera grows anywhere they are planted. They are that easy to grow. You just need some soil in a pot and some water, that’s all for taking care of this plant.

It is a very healthy succulent, which makes your home and life both healthy. It takes out benzene and formaldehyde from the air making it less dangerous. It works as an antiseptic and to some extent avoids cancer too.

16. Broad Lady (Palm Rhapis Excelsa)

Broad Lady is not a naturally occurring plant. It is a very special gift for indoor gardeners from Chinese cultivators. Yes, it is a man-made species, but believe me, it’s amazingly gorgeous.

They are exceptionally good indoor plants because they remove benzene, xylene, ammonia, etc. from the air. They are mainly popular for their long textured lustrous leaves which looks like a fountain.

17. Fittonia ‘Frankie’ (Fittonia argyroneura)

They are spreading perennial plants, which grows around 10-15 cm tall. Mainly famous for its small size and dark green leaves with white veins. Fittonia is an excellent choice if you are looking for something extraordinary.

The most amazing thing about Fittonia is that they have pink leaves. Pink leaves with green edges look like candy and are amazingly easy to grow with proper water. They are mainly used for covering the ground or as an ornamental pot plant. They remove formaldehyde from the air which makes your house clean and beautiful at the same time.

18. Ficus (Ficus benjamin)

Ficus, also known as “weeping fig” is planted mainly as an indoor plant in homes and offices. It is an broad leaf evergreen plant that removes ammonia and trichloroethylene from the air. This elegant plant has slender branches that arch gracefully from a light grey trunk with dense and glossy dark leaves.

They normally grow about 6-8 feet tall and sometimes for decoration, their stems are braided. They are fast growers, and for best results try them to pot around early spring.

19. Flamingo Lily ( Anthurium andraeanum)

lf you want to show off your vivid and exceptional personality, just bring a Flamingo Lily plant to your home. It is known for its shiny leaves and amazingly mesmerizing flowers and is one of the most loved ornamental flowers among cultivators.

It is just a class apart from other plants and shows off luxurious status. Although they are queens of indoor plantations, they are not that sassy. They require minimum care if it is provided with the right conditions. It requires acidic soil, moist condition and infrequent watering.

Temperature around 60-90° F is optimum for its growth. The flowers of this plant are just a blessing of GOD to mankind. Red flowers with long filament right at the centre makes its look like a standing Flamingo.

20. Tulsi(Ocimum tenuiflorum)

One of the most popular indigenous plants in India is Tulsi. Tulsi is a name that is known to everyone in India. Considered a holy plant in Hinduism, Tulsi is worshipped by Hindus throughout the world.

From ancient times, Hindu mythology has endorsed the benefits of this plant to us. It has many medicinal properties. It is worshipped because it is believed that the tulsi plant brings joy, peace and happiness into our lives, and that is true because it almost removes every indoor pollutant known to man.

It cleans the air which results in a better mental state and relaxes the neurons. You should definitely try out this plant, if you want a tried and tested remedy for beauty and air pollution both.

21. Cactus (Cactaceae)

This plant is mainly common in deserts area. This succulent plant is known for its shiny, wide and fleshy trunk. Its drought resistance nature makes it easy for everyone to grow indoors.

They are ornamental plants and are considered very lucky for the family. Thorny leaves and the broad stem looks very cute in a pot, sitting right on top of your workstation.

There are a lot of options to make a better home, but these natural options are best and cheap at the same time. We take care of our homes like a baby and tend to spend a lot of time within a beautiful interior.

22. Philodendron

One should have an indoor plant that bears silky smooth large leaves, in that case, philodendron is the best choice. Most famous for their easy acceptance of any condition.

It doesn’t require any special care. Very similar to pothos, it doesn’t require direct sunlight. It is very effective in removing pollutants too. If you want to have pollutant-free air inside your home, you have to take this plant.

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At present time, we are bonded by artificial things. Artificial elements have chemicals that make people really sick if exposed for a long period of time. Why do you want to harm yourself and your family with something artificial? Just get a plant because it’s cheaper, healthy, natural, add beauty, and purifies your indoor environment.

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Symbiosis in plants is a process in which our green friends live in close harmony and mutually benefit from each other. Symbiotic relationships are of four types:

• Ectosymbiosis or endosymbiosis
• Commensalism
• Parasitism
• Mutualism

Ectosymbiosis or endosymbiosis refers to the relationship where a species lives inside another such as lice on human skin.

Commensalism, on the other hand, is a relationship where one organism benefits from another but the other is neither harmed nor benefited by it. A spider weaving its web on a tree is an example of commensalism as it benefits the spider but doesn’t benefit or harm the tree.

Parasitism refers to an organism having a beneficial relationship with another but not vice versa (it only benefits one organism while destroying the other). An example of such a relationship would be an aphid feeding on plant sap.

Mutualism is the symbiotic relationship where both the co-dependent organisms benefit from each other such as dogs and humans. A dog offers its company and the human provides it with food.

Coming to symbiotic plants, a garden will grow all year round with them to guard the other greens. While amateur gardeners might be ignorant of symbiotic plants, pro gardeners always depend on symbiotic plants to make their greenery work. Here are six examples of symbiotic plants that you can add to your garden:

1. Foxgloves
2. Marigolds
3. Rosemary
4. Orange Nasturtium
5. Lavender
6. Tomatoes

Some Beneficial Symbiotic Plants for Your Garden

Let’s Uncover Some Beneficial Symbiotic Plants You Can Have in Your Garden!

1. Foxgloves

Foxgloves are pretty safe symbiotic plants to grow as they do not succumb to any diseases and end up being strong and huge, adding a tinge of delight to your garden. You will also notice that the plants that grow around foxgloves are stronger too. They are also at a reduced risk of contracting any disease.

2. Marigolds

Marigolds are one of the main contributors to a healthy garden as they not only add a splash of vibrancy but also help other plants blossom. You can see hoverflies around marigolds as they produce a scent to attract them. But why is that a feature of plants?

Hoverflies feed on plant lice, twitch grass, and greenflies, the potential attackers of all plants. The marigold roots keep eelworms away so your tomatoes or roses will be safe from the attacks of worms.

3. Rosemary

A delicious herb, rosemary can accompany you on every meal and works wonders in a vegetable garden by keeping away flies, beetles, and moths. So your cabbages, carrots, and sages will grow healthy around a rosemary plant. Broccoli is also one of the thriving vegetables near rosemary, however, potatoes do not share the same bond with it.

4. Orange Nasturtium

If you have beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, or cabbage, you must have seen the amazing benefits of growing orange nasturtium. With its orange petals, nasturtium attracts insects you don’t want near your vegetables. While whitefly and plant lice feed on the nasturtium, your veggies will be left alone to thrive.

5. Lavender

There’s nothing more soothing than walking amongst your greens and inhaling the fresh scent of lavenders. While the smell is one of the main reasons to grow lavenders in your garden, there are several other benefits to it. It acts as a barrier against insects and repels them away from vulnerable plants.

6. Tomatoes

Tomatoes might be a tricky vegetable to grow in a colder climate but it sure is a faithful friend to their vegetable friends. Carrots, onions, parsley, celery, asparagus, and basil all love being around tomatoes as it helps them grow healthily by keeping them away from preying insects.

The Bottom Line: Which Symbiotic Plant Did You Choose?

Amongst the listed six plants that thrive on symbiosis in this article, which one did you choose to be your green friend? It’s way easier to come by symbiotic plants than you think. There are several herbs, flowers, and vegetables out there that thrive on a mutually beneficial relationship. The next time you prepare for a changing season, take a moment to plan your planting so that your green friends live longer and healthier.

FAQs

Is a mushroom a symbiotic plant?

The mushrooms that grow around the bases of trees have their mycelium woven around the tree’s roots altering the root’s shape and absorbing minerals and water for the tree. In return, the tree provides the mushrooms with nutrients. Since both benefits from each other, they are said to have a symbiotic alliance. So, yes, mushrooms are symbiotic plants.

What vegetables are symbiotic?

Here’s a list of some of the symbiotic vegetables:

• Tomatoes
• Squash
• Spinach
• Radish
• Pumpkins
• Onions
• Lettuce
• Garlic
• Eggplants
• Cilantro
• Carrots
• Cabbage
• Broccoli
• Beets
• Beans
• Basil
• Asparagus
• Chard
• Collards
• Corn
• Cucumbers
• Jerusalem Artichoke
• Okra
• Mint
• Peas

Are trees symbiotic?

Trees are capable of forming mycorrhizae which translate to fungus roots. It indicates the symbiotic relationship between fungi and trees. The mycorrhizae fungi have several branching threads known as mycelium growing from the tip of the tree’s roots. They connect with the roots of other neighboring trees and/or plants and form a mycorrhizal network helping the tree to form a symbiotic relationship.

What is the difference between symbiosis and mutualism?

The term, symbiosis, refers to the prolonged and close association between any two organisms of different species. The term, mutualism, refers to the interactions between any organisms of the same or different species that reap certain benefits for the organisms involved. We can say that mutualistic relationships need not necessarily be symbiotic.

Do cherries have symbiotic roots?

Cherry exhibits arbuscular symbiosis. The term refers to the symbiotic relationship between the roots of the terrestrial flowering plants and zygomycetes (order Glomales). The term is derived from the word arbuscules (the exchange site for water, carbon, phosphorus, and other nutrients).