Watercolor illustration of a Spider Plant

Spider Plant

Chlorophytum Comosum

Type
perennial
Native to
South Africa
Climate
warm & tropical
Sun
prefers full sun, tolerates low light
Water
moderate, tolerates dry soil
Height
6–12 inches

Spider plants are an extremely popular house plant today- they can withstand neglect as their thick white roots store lots of nutrients and water. They are also great air purifiers- they were found to reduce toxic formaldehyde in a room by 95% over a 24 hour period in a NASA study. Interestingly, they have also been found to be a mild hallucinogenic for house cats, although harmless. Once root bound, they may produce small white flowers and asexual clones, which can be directly propagated into soil or water.