Wild Interiors Plants Around the World
Did you know that there are actual plant hunters that travel the world to find new plant species to intrigue and fascinate our plant-collecting obsession? All of our favorite interior plants have native habitats spread across the globe, and most are near the equator where life is most diverse and unexplored. Finding optimal plants in the wild for interior growth takes skill and savvy. Do you have what it takes to be a plant hunter? Join us as we explore a few of our favorite Wild Interiors plants and the territories they are native to. Keep track of your plant hunting journey by downloading your own FREE Wild Interiors Plants Around the World Map.
Wild Interiors Plants Around the World
ZZ Plants (a.k.a. Zamioculcas zamiifolia)
Region of Origin: Eastern Africa
Family: Araceae
Other Names: Aroid Palm; Emerald Palm; Zanzibar Gem; Zuzu Plant
Climate: Savanna (dry grasslands and forested regions with wet-dry seasons and warm temperatures)
Interesting to Know:
Because ZZ Plants are from an area where they need to survive through periods of drought, they have rhizomatous roots to store water. They can survive months without moisture! Keep in mind, they are highly susceptible to overwatering in interior settings. While they are slow growers, they are probably the lowest maintenance plant.
Fiddle-Leaf Fig (a.k.a. Ficus lyrata)
Region of Origin: Western Africa
Family: Moraceae
Climate: Tropical rainforest understory (high humidity, high precipitation, and high temperatures)
Interesting to Know:
One of the most popular interior plants today, fiddle-leaf figs can be found in almost any florist department, garden center, or box store. However, unlike other houseplants that made a comeback from the 20th century, fiddle leaf figs were not introduced as interior plants until the 21st century!
The species name lyrata means lyre. Still used in the plant’s native continent, a lyre is known to most as an instrument used in ancient Greece. Although not a fiddle, a lyre is similar to the unique leaf shape that gives Ficus lyrata its scientific name.
Pothos (a.k.a. Epipremnum species)
Region of Origin: India, China, Japan, Australia, and Indonesia
Family: Araceae
Other Names: Centipede Tongavine, Devil’s Ivy
Climate: Tropical rainforest understory (high humidity, high precipitation, and high temperatures)
Interesting to Know:
Pothos is bestowed with the common name “devil’s ivy” because the plant is difficult to kill and because the leaves remain green in the absence of light! Another reason the name “devil’s ivy” befits the vining houseplant is that pothos is toxic to mammals because of sharp, needle-like cells in the plant’s tissue that wreak havoc on any munching herbivore.
Boston Fern (a.k.a. Nephrolepis exaltata)
Region of Origin: North America, Central America, South America, Polynesia, West Indies, Africa
Family: Nephrolepidaceae
Other Names: Sword Fern, Fishbone Fern, Tuber Ladder Fern, Fluffy Ruffles
Climate: tropical and subtropical forest understory (high humidity, moderate precipitation, and temperatures)
Interesting to Know:
While there are many native ferns found across North America, only a few are cultivated for interior use. Boston fern is one of those!
Boston ferns aren’t actually native to Boston. In fact, they’re native to more tropical regions of the world including Florida. There are many tales surrounding the origin of the common name, “Boston fern.” The most likely story is that the name became affiliated with the plant when it was shipped by a famous nurseryman in Florida to a friend in Boston. The tale is the ultimate ode to pen pals!
Calathea (a.k.a. Calathea, Goeppertia, or Maranta species)
Region of Origin: South America
Family: Marantaceae
Other Names: Zebra Plant, Caricature Plant, Prayer Plant
Climate: Tropical rainforest understory (high humidity, moderate precipitation, and temperatures)
Interesting to Know:
Genera of the arrowroot family (Marantaceae) are commonly confused for each other. Just recently, the Calathea genus has been decreased to just a dozen species. Over 200 species have been reclassified into the Goeppertia genus, including common calatheas such as the Rattlesnake Calathea.
A common phenomenon amongst plants in the Marantaceae family is the folding of leaves at night. This is made possible by a “joint” between the leaf petiole and stem called a “pulvinus.” The plant is able to change leaf angles by increasing and decreasing the water pressure in the pulvinus!
Calathea are used in their native regions to wrap and transport fish or to create baskets and containers for everyday living.
Pilea (a.k.a. Pilea peperomioides)
Region of Origin: Southwest China
Family: Urticaceae
Other Names: Missionary Plant, Chinese Money Plant, UFO Plant; Pass-along Plant
Climate: Himalayan subtropical forest (wet-dry seasons, high humidity, and moderate temperatures)
Interesting to Know:
Even though Pilea peperomioides has been circulated and grown worldwide for over a century, it was not taxonomically classified until the 1980s! It is a prime example of how quickly plants can be passed through a network of amateur growers under the radar. The plant was passed by cutting, grower to grower without being examined by botanists for decades.
Its common name “missionary plant” comes from the story of its transportation to Western parts of the world via a missionary fleeing the Hunan Province in the 1940s.
Hen-and-Chicks (a.k.a. Echeveria species)
Region of Origin: North America, Mexico, Central America, and South America
Family: Crassulaceae
Climate: Hot semi-arid (mountainous terrains at high elevations with low humidity, low precipitation, and warm temperatures)
Interesting to Know:
The name hen-and-chicks comes from the plant’s tendency to produce offsets, which can be divided and cultivated to form individual plants.
While there are over 150 species of echeveria in the wild, plant breeders have created many more hybrids by crossing species’ genetics to provide us with a colorful and textural palette of echeveria to dot our homes!
We hope that this trip around the world inspires you to branch out and add to your plant collection. While these Wild Interiors plant varieties have origins around the world, you can find them close to home at a local retailer near you! Don’t forget to download your free plant map and keep track of all the Wild Interiors plants you’ve hunted down!
Let us know which Wild Interiors plants you’d love to add to your collection @wild_interiors on Instagram!