Peace Lily
Spathiphyllum wallisii · the Spath
It grows on the shaded, humid floor of tropical American rainforests, in dappled light beneath taller trees. Its famous white "flower" is not a flower at all. It is a single curved leaf called a spathe.
Family
Araceae
Origin
Tropical America
In the wild
Forest floor
Indoors
0.3–0.9 m
Growth
Moderate
With pets
Toxic
Where it's from
Tropical Central and South America
Forest-floor shade
Humid lowland forest in Colombia, Venezuela and Central America, on wet ground near streams.
Outdoors: zones 11–12
True tropical. Frost kills it, so almost everywhere it lives indoors.
Not invasive
Unlike the snake plant, it has not been reported spreading in the wild.
The flower is a leaf
The white "bloom" is a modified leaf called a spathe. It wraps a cream spike, the spadix, and the real flowers are the tiny bumps studding that spike. As it ages the white spathe slowly turns green. You have been admiring a leaf.
The real flowers are tiny
They stud the cream spadix inside, all maturing together over a few days.
It greens with age
The white spathe and cream spadix both turn green as the bloom matures.
It blooms in shade
Its signature trick: it flowers readily indoors, even in low light.
How to keep it
LightLow to bright indirect
One of the most shade-tolerant bloomers. No direct sun, which scorches the leaves.
WaterKeep evenly moist
Moist but never soggy. Never let it sit in standing water, which rots the roots.
HumidityHighA rainforest-floor plant. Brown leaf tips signal air that is too dry.
Temperature20–29°CGrowth slows below 13°C; cold damage below about 4°C.
SoilRich, peat or bark mixOrganic and moisture-retentive, but still well-draining.
FeedingLight, in growing seasonA weak balanced feed every six to eight weeks. Over-feeding burns the leaf tips.
DifficultyEasy to moderateForgiving, but it sulks loudly. The drama queen of houseplants.
With petsToxicCalcium oxalate crystals. Mouth burning, drooling, vomiting if chewed.
PropagationDivisionNo vining stem to cut. Split the rhizome crowns when repotting.
RepottingWhen roots circlePot up only an inch or two. An oversized pot holds too much water.
What the data says
What it costs
A common florist and box-store plant. The default blooming gift, with no collector mania.
$10–40
Variegated cultivars like Picasso and Domino run a little higher. No four-figure bubble here.
The famous air plant
It is the poster child of the air-purifying myth, on the strength of one sealed lab chamber.
100–1,000
plants per square metre would be needed to match a room's normal ventilation (Cummings and Waring, 2019). NASA's 1989 test used a sealed box with no airflow. Buy it because it blooms in the shade.
IUCN · Not assessed
In the wild
The common houseplant is in no danger, while some of its wild relatives quietly slip away.
The popular species are among the most cultivated plants on Earth and are not threatened. But several narrow-range wild relatives are imperilled: S. wilfridianum from Mexico is Critically Endangered, and most species have never been assessed. Thriving in our homes, vanishing in the wild.
When it sulks
Dramatic wiltingThirsty. Water it and it usually rebounds within hours. Its trademark, but repeated wilting does damage.
Yellow leavesOverwatering and soggy roots, or simply old leaves ageing out.
Brown leaf tipsDry air, over-feeding, or tap-water salt buildup.
Won't flowerToo dark, or the plant is too young to set blooms.
Green flowersNormal ageing. The spathe greens as it matures.
Varieties & company
The varieties
Mauna LoaSensationDominoPicassoClevelandii
Pairs with · keep apart from
FernsCalatheaMonsteraSnake PlantCactiSucculents
A new plant, every week.
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