# Spider Plant (*Chlorophytum comosum*)

Spider plants have long, thin leaves that look like spider legs. They are easy to grow and make great houseplants. Spider plants can produce tiny white flowers and baby plants called 'spiderettes.'

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Indoor
- **Also known as:** Air Plant, Chlorophytum, Ribbon Plant

![Spider Plant](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Malamadre_%28Chlorophytum_comosum%29.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, CC BY-SA 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Malamadre_%28Chlorophytum_comosum%29.jpg)

## Appearance

The Spider Plant has long, arching, strap-like leaves, typically green with a prominent white or cream stripe running down the center. Its most distinctive feature is the small 'spiderette' plantlets that dangle from long stems, making it visually unique among common houseplants.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Liliopsida
- **Order:** Asparagales
- **Family:** Asparagaceae
- **Genus:** Chlorophytum

## Interesting facts

- Its 'spiderette' babies are actually miniature clones of the parent plant!
- Some varieties have roots that look like small, pale potatoes!
- Spider Plants grow quickly and can be found almost anywhere people live.
- The plant gets its name from its long, trailing stems that resemble spider legs.

## Special abilities

- **Baby Maker:** Spider Plant can grow tiny 'spiderette' plantlets that easily root, allowing it to quickly make new plants.
- **Root Food Storage:** Spider Plant has thick, fleshy roots that store water and nutrients, helping it survive dry periods.
- **Air Cleaner Helper:** Spider Plant can absorb common air pollutants, which helps to improve air quality around it.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 30-60 cm
- **Spread:** 30-90 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Intermittent
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Visits its small white flowers for nectar and pollen.
- **Eaten by:** Fall armyworm (*Spodoptera frugiperda*) — Larvae can feed on its leaves in native regions.
- **Eaten by:** Cotton aphid (*Aphis gossypii*) — Small insects that can suck sap from its leaves.

## Traits

- [Ornamental](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ornamental): Ornamental plants are cultivated primarily for their aesthetic appeal, enhancing landscapes and gardens with their attractive foliage, flowers, or form.
- [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight.
- [Variegated](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/variegated): Pertaining to plants with leaves or petals exhibiting different colors in patches or stripes.
- [Evergreen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/evergreen): Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once.
- [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period.

## Collections

- [Foliage Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/foliage-plants)
- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Spider plants are safe to touch and be around, but avoid eating any part of the plant.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Spider Plant?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Spider Plant?

30-60 cm

### How wide does Spider Plant spread?

30-90 cm

### How big are the flowers on Spider Plant?

0.5-1 cm

### When does Spider Plant bloom?

Intermittent

### Is Spider Plant edible?

No

### Is Spider Plant toxic?

None

### What is Spider Plant's lifecycle?

Perennial

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Spider Plant: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spider-plant)