Chlorophytum comosumSpider Plant

Chlorophytum comosum, the Spider Plant, is a southern African perennial with arching, strap-shaped leaves, usually striped cream and green, that throws long wiry stems carrying plantlets at their tips. Those plantlets root where they touch, which is how a single plant becomes a mass.

It is one of the few plants that performs in deep shade, in low interior light and in dry soil, and it has been a staple of interior landscaping for decades for exactly that reason.

Specifications

• Height0.3 to 0.6 metres
• Width0.3 to 0.6 metres, spreading further on trailing stolons
• Native toSouthern Africa
• FoliageArching, linear strap leaves, commonly striped cream and green; evergreen
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilAdaptable; prefers a free-draining loam or open potting medium
• LightPartial shade to full shade outdoors, or bright indirect light indoors; scorches in hot direct sun
• WaterLow to moderate; the fleshy roots store water and carry it through missed irrigation
• ClimateThrives in tropical and subtropical regions and in conditioned interiors elsewhere

Additional Features

• UsesInterior landscaping, shaded ground layers, planters, hanging containers and podium beds
• SpacingPlant 0.3 metres apart for a closed ground layer
• Low MaintenanceCut spent stolons and tired leaves at the base; divide congested clumps
• Pest ResistanceTrouble free in most positions; watch for mealybug in still interior air
• Drought ToleranceTuberous roots hold reserves and tolerate extended dry periods
• Air PurifyingLong-established as an interior foliage plant for enclosed spaces
• VersatilityPerforms as ground cover, container plant and trailing feature from the same stock

The Spider Plant is the default choice where light is poor, irrigation is unreliable, and the ground still has to be covered.