Spider Plant
Chlorophytum comosum
Also called: Airplane Plant, Ribbon Plant
Spider Plant. Chlorophytum comosum, usually called spider plant or common spider plant due to its spider-like look, also known as spider ivy, airplane plant, ribbon plant, and hen and chicks, is a species of evergreen perennial flowering plant of the family Asparagaceae. It is native to tropical and Southern Africa but has become naturalized in other parts of the world, including Western Australia and Bangladesh. Chlorophytum comosum is easy to grow as a houseplant because of its resilience, but it can be sensitive to the fluoride in tap water, which commonly gives it "burnt tips". Variegated forms are the most popular.
Growing & care
- Light: bright indirect; tolerates lower light at the cost of slower growth and faded variegation. Direct afternoon sun scorches leaves.
- Water: keep evenly moist in spring/summer; let the top inch dry in winter. Brown tips signal fluoride or chloride in tap water — switch to distilled or rainwater.
- Soil: any general potting mix with good drainage.
- Pot: slightly snug. Spider plants flower and produce more plantlets when mildly root-bound.
- Fertilizer: monthly during active growth at half strength; over-fertilizing produces lush leaves but no plantlets.
- Humidity: average household humidity is fine.
Propagation
Plantlets at the tips of stolons are the easiest propagation in horticulture: pin a plantlet onto soil in a small pot while still attached, water normally for 2–3 weeks, then snip the umbilical stolon. Plantlets can also root directly in water within a week.
Common problems
Brown leaf tips almost always trace to tap-water chemicals or salt buildup — flush the pot thoroughly every few months. Pale, washed-out growth indicates too much direct sun. Lack of plantlets usually means the plant is too young, too small, or the light cycle is too even — natural seasonal day-length shifts trigger stolon production. Confirmed non-toxic to dogs and cats; cats may chew leaves for a mild psychoactive effect that's harmless if messy.
Spider Plant — seeds, tools & books
Native range
Native range not recorded for this plant. Often a non-native cultivar or naturalized garden plant.
