1
African Violet
Streptocarpus ionanthus
A compact flowering houseplant from East African cloud forests, famous for its fuzzy leaves and clusters of violet, pink, or white blooms throughout the year.
Below are plants that contain the letter N anywhere in the name. Each of the 87 plants below opens to a full profile.
Table of contents
List of Plants That Contain N
2
Air Plant
Tillandsia ionantha
A group of epiphytic bromeliads that grow without soil, absorbing moisture and nutrients through their leaves and clinging to bark, rocks, or wires.
3
Anthurium Plant
Anthurium andraeanum
A tropical American houseplant grown for its glossy waxy flowers in red, pink, or white, formed by a brightly colored leaf-like spathe and slender spadix.
4
Asparagus Fern
Asparagus setaceus
A soft, feathery South African plant that resembles a fern but is actually a relative of garden asparagus, popular as a houseplant and floral filler.
5
Begonia
Begonia
A vast genus of tropical and subtropical plants grown for their asymmetrical leaves and waxy flowers, from compact bedding plants to spectacular foliage hybrids.
6
Boston Fern
Nephrolepis exaltata
A graceful arching fern from tropical Americas, immensely popular as a hanging houseplant since the Victorian era for its lush sword-shaped fronds.
7
Bunny Ear Cactus
Opuntia microdasys
A Mexican prickly pear with flat oval pads arranged in pairs that resemble rabbit ears, popular as a small windowsill cactus despite its tufts of irritating bristles.
8
Chinese Evergreen
Aglaonema commutatum
A tough Southeast Asian houseplant grown for its silver- or red-mottled leaves, widely chosen for offices for its tolerance of low light and dry air.
9
Croton
Codiaeum variegatum
A flamboyant tropical Asian shrub whose leaves splash with red, orange, yellow, and green, grown outdoors in the tropics and as a vivid houseplant elsewhere.
10
Cyclamen
Cyclamen persicum
A Mediterranean tuberous plant whose nodding pink, white, or red flowers with swept-back petals appear in winter above heart-shaped marbled leaves.
11
Dieffenbachia
Dieffenbachia seguine
A tropical American houseplant with large white-splashed leaves whose sap can numb the mouth, giving rise to the common name dumb cane.
12
Dracaena
Dracaena fragrans
A diverse genus of African and Asian foliage plants with strap-shaped leaves on woody stems, including popular houseplants like the corn plant and dragon tree.
13
Echinacea
Echinacea purpurea
A North American prairie wildflower, also called coneflower, grown for its bright daisy-like blooms and roots harvested for an immune-supporting herbal supplement.
14
Elephant Ear
Colocasia esculenta
A group of tropical Asian aroids with enormous arrow-shaped leaves, grown ornamentally for bold tropical effect and edible as taro in many cuisines.
15
English Ivy
Hedera helix
A vigorous evergreen woody vine from Europe, widely grown for cover on walls and as a houseplant, but invasive in parts of North America and Australia.
16
Eucalyptus Plant
Eucalyptus cinerea
Juvenile foliage of Australian eucalyptus trees, grown for their round silver-blue scented leaves popular in cut and dried flower arrangements.
17
Fern Pine
Afrocarpus gracilior
An East African evergreen tree with soft fern-like blue-green needles, often clipped as a hedge or topiary in mild-climate gardens.
18
Fittonia
Fittonia albivenis
A South American rainforest groundcover famous for the bright pink, red, or white vein patterns on its small dark green leaves, sometimes called the nerve plant.
19
Fountain Grass
Pennisetum alopecuroides
A graceful African and Asian ornamental grass with arching foliage and feathery summer flower plumes, a backbone of modern naturalistic plantings.
20
Gardenia
Gardenia jasminoides
An East Asian evergreen shrub with glossy dark leaves and white double flowers whose powerful sweet perfume makes it a classic Southern garden plant.
21
Gerbera Plant
Gerbera jamesonii
A South African daisy widely grown as a bedding plant and one of the worlds top five cut flowers, available in nearly every color but blue.
22
Ginseng
Panax ginseng
A slow-growing East Asian and North American forest herb with branched fleshy roots used for thousands of years in traditional medicine as a tonic.
23
Gloxinia
Sinningia speciosa
A Brazilian tuberous houseplant grown for large velvety bell-shaped flowers in deep purple, red, or white, often gifted as a flowering pot plant.
24
Goji Plant
Lycium barbarum
A thorny East Asian shrub whose bright red berries, marketed as a superfood, have been used in Chinese medicine for over a thousand years.
25
Goldenrod
Solidago canadensis
A North American perennial wildflower with tall plumes of bright yellow late-summer flowers, a critical late nectar source for bees and migrating butterflies.
26
Heartleaf Philodendron
Philodendron hederaceum
A trailing tropical American aroid with small glossy heart-shaped leaves, one of the easiest and longest-popular houseplants in cultivation.
27
Hens and Chicks
Sempervivum tectorum
A European alpine succulent forming a mother rosette surrounded by clusters of small offsets, a classic hardy plant for rock gardens and green roofs.
28
Ice Plant
Delosperma cooperi
A South African low-growing succulent groundcover whose juice-filled leaves sparkle as if frosted, popular for hot dry slopes and coastal plantings.
29
Impatiens
Impatiens walleriana
A shade-tolerant African annual loved for non-stop summer flowers in pink, red, white, and orange, traditionally one of the worlds best-selling bedding plants.
30
Inch Plant
Tradescantia zebrina
A trailing Mexican vine in the wandering jew group, grown for striped silver and purple leaves and tiny three-petaled pink flowers in summer.
31
Indian Mallow
Abutilon indicum
A pantropical herb with soft heart-shaped leaves and small yellow flowers, used for fiber, fodder, and traditional Ayurvedic medicine across South Asia.
32
Jade Plant
Crassula ovata
A South African succulent shrub with thick oval leaves and a treelike trunk, one of the most enduring houseplants and considered a symbol of good luck.
33
Japanese Iris
Iris ensata
A water-loving Japanese perennial with enormous flat flowers in violet, blue, and white, prized in Japanese garden ponds and traditional flower arrangements.
34
Juniper Plant
Juniperus communis
A widespread coniferous shrub with prickly or scaly evergreen foliage and aromatic blue berries, used for gin flavoring, traditional medicine, and ornament.
35
Kalanchoe
Kalanchoe blossfeldiana
A Madagascan succulent grown for its compact umbrella-shaped clusters of long-lasting flowers in red, pink, orange, white, and yellow.
36
Kentia Palm
Howea forsteriana
An elegant Australian island palm with arching feather-shaped fronds, the most popular indoor palm of grand hotels and parlors since the Victorian era.
37
Kentucky Bluegrass
Poa pratensis
A Eurasian cool-season turf grass, the standard lawn species across temperate North America despite originating in Europe and northern Asia.
38
Korean Boxwood
Buxus sinica var. insularis
A small slow-growing Korean evergreen shrub with neat oval green leaves, prized as a hardy hedge and topiary plant in temperate gardens.
39
Lemon Balm
Melissa officinalis
A Mediterranean mint-family herb with lemon-scented leaves used for calming herbal teas, savory cooking, and as a popular garden bee plant.
40
Lemon Verbena
Aloysia citrodora
A South American deciduous shrub whose narrow leaves smell intensely of lemon, used for tea, dessert flavoring, and a popular cottage garden herb.
41
Lipstick Plant
Aeschynanthus radicans
A Southeast Asian epiphytic vine grown as a hanging houseplant for its tubular red flowers that emerge from dark calyxes like a lipstick from its tube.
42
Maidenhair Fern
Adiantum capillus-veneris
A delicate fern with airy fan-shaped leaflets on slim black wiry stems, found near waterfalls worldwide and famously challenging as a houseplant.
43
Maranta
Maranta leuconeura
A Brazilian rainforest plant called the prayer plant because its richly patterned leaves fold up at night as if in prayer, a popular tabletop houseplant.
44
Money Plant
Epipremnum aureum
A trailing tropical Asian aroid called money plant for the belief it attracts wealth, identical to golden pothos in many regions of South Asia.
45
Monstera
Monstera deliciosa
A tropical American climbing aroid famous for huge fenestrated heart-shaped leaves, one of the most photographed and traded houseplants of the modern era.
46
Nasturtium
Tropaeolum majus
An Andean trailing annual with round shield-shaped leaves and bright orange, yellow, or red spurred flowers, all parts edible and pleasantly peppery.
47
Nettle
Urtica dioica
A widely distributed perennial herb with stinging hairs along its stems and leaves, both feared as a weed and prized as a nutritious cooked green and fiber plant.
48
New Zealand Flax
Phormium tenax
A New Zealand evergreen with stiff fan-shaped clumps of long strappy leaves, dramatic in modern landscape design and historically harvested for strong fiber.
49
Night Blooming Jasmine
Cestrum nocturnum
A tropical American shrub whose small green-white flowers release an intense sweet perfume after dusk, intoxicating in warm gardens.
50
Norfolk Pine
Araucaria heterophylla
A South Pacific evergreen conifer with symmetrical tiered branches, often sold as a small living Christmas tree but not actually a true pine.
51
Oleander
Nerium oleander
A Mediterranean and South Asian evergreen shrub with leathery leaves and showy pink, white, or red flowers, beautiful but among the most poisonous of garden plants.
52
Ornamental Grass
Miscanthus sinensis
A broad horticultural group of clumping grasses grown for foliage, flower plumes, winter structure, and movement in modern naturalistic gardens.
53
Ostrich Fern
Matteuccia struthiopteris
A large North American and European fern named for its vase-shaped clumps of plume-like sterile fronds, the source of edible spring fiddleheads.
54
Pencil Cactus
Euphorbia tirucalli
An East African succulent that looks like a tangle of green pencils, popular as a sculptural houseplant despite its highly irritating milky sap.
55
Peppermint
Mentha piperita
A hybrid herb of water mint and spearmint, with intensely menthol-scented leaves used worldwide for tea, candy, oral hygiene, and aromatherapy.
56
Philodendron
Philodendron
A vast genus of tropical American aroids ranging from compact heart-leaf trailers to enormous tree-climbing forms, beloved as forgiving and varied houseplants.
57
Polka Dot Plant
Hypoestes phyllostachya
A Madagascar foliage plant whose green leaves are splashed with vivid pink, white, or red spots, popular as a cheerful small bedding and houseplant.
58
Prayer Plant
Maranta leuconeura
A general name for marantas, calatheas, and stromanthes whose leaves fold upward at dusk in a praying gesture, popular ornamental foliage houseplants.
59
Quaking Grass
Briza media
A graceful European grass whose heart-shaped flat seed heads tremble on slim stems in the slightest breeze, popular in dried bouquets.
60
Queen Annes Lace
Daucus carota
A European biennial wildflower with flat lacy white flower heads on tall stems, the wild ancestor of the cultivated carrot and a meadow favorite.
61
Queen Palm
Syagrus romanzoffiana
A graceful South American palm with arching feathery fronds and a smooth grey trunk, the most-planted street palm of Florida, Brazil, and the Mediterranean.
62
Rabbits Foot Fern
Davallia fejeensis
A Fijian fern with finely cut bright green fronds rising from hairy creeping rhizomes that look like soft rabbit feet creeping over the pot rim.
63
Rattlesnake Plant
Goeppertia insignis
A Brazilian rainforest calathea with long wavy green leaves marked with dark blotches that look like a rattlesnakes pattern, popular as a houseplant.
64
Rubber Plant
Ficus elastica
A South Asian fig tree grown indoors for its large glossy leathery leaves, an icon of mid-century interior design and a classic forgiving houseplant.
65
Sansevieria
Sansevieria trifasciata
The classic botanical name for the snake plant group, an African succulent prized as a near-indestructible houseplant in many leaf colors and forms.
66
Snake Plant
Dracaena trifasciata
A tough West African succulent with stiff upright sword-shaped leaves, one of the most forgiving houseplants and a NASA-listed air purifier.
67
Spider Plant
Chlorophytum comosum
A South African hanging plant with arching striped grass-like leaves and dangling baby plantlets, one of the easiest and most prolific houseplants.
68
Staghorn Fern
Platycerium bifurcatum
An Australian epiphytic fern with antler-shaped fronds that grows wedged to tree branches and is mounted on boards as a popular living wall plant.
69
String of Pearls
Curio rowleyanus
A South African trailing succulent with green pea-shaped leaves strung along threadlike stems, popular in hanging baskets for its jewelry-like cascade.
70
Sword Fern
Polystichum munitum
A large evergreen Pacific Northwest fern with stiff dark green sword-shaped fronds, common in coastal coniferous forests and a popular shade landscape plant.
71
Tarragon
Artemisia dracunculus
A Eurasian aromatic herb with slim anise-scented leaves, considered one of the four fines herbes of French cuisine and essential to classic sauces.
72
Tillandsia
Tillandsia
A large genus of soilless American bromeliads, including Spanish moss and many air plants, that absorb moisture and nutrients straight through their leaves.
73
Tradescantia
Tradescantia fluminensis
A genus of fast-growing trailing American herbs popular as houseplants, with colorful striped foliage and small three-petaled pink, purple, or white flowers.
74
Tree Fern
Dicksonia antarctica
Ancient ferns whose trunks rise several metres above the ground, carrying a crown of enormous fronds, surviving relics of the Carboniferous landscape.
75
Umbrella Plant
Schefflera actinophylla
An Australian tropical shrub or tree with palmate leaves whose leaflets radiate like umbrella spokes, a long-popular indoor foliage houseplant.
76
Urn Plant
Aechmea fasciata
A South American bromeliad with silver-banded leaves forming a vase-shaped rosette that holds water, topped by a pink and blue flower head in summer.
77
Venus Flytrap
Dionaea muscipula
A small carnivorous American bog plant with hinged leaves that snap shut on insects, perhaps the most famous of all carnivorous plants.
78
Verbena
Verbena bonariensis
A large American and European genus of low spreading herbs and shrubs grown for clusters of small bright flowers and a long summer blooming season.
79
Wandering Jew
Tradescantia zebrina
A traditional common name for several trailing tradescantias from Latin America, prized as easy houseplants with vivid purple or silver striped leaves.
80
Water Hyacinth
Eichhornia crassipes
A South American floating aquatic plant with bulbous leaf bases and spikes of lavender flowers, beautiful but among the worlds most damaging invasive weeds.
81
Wax Plant
Hoya carnosa
A common name for hoyas, tropical Asian vines whose waxy succulent leaves and fragrant porcelain-like flower clusters have made them beloved houseplants.
82
Xanthoria
Xanthoria parietina
A vivid orange-yellow leaf-like lichen growing on tree bark, rocks, and roofs around the world, often noticed for the cheerful color it gives ordinary stones.
83
Xeronema
Xeronema callistemon
A New Zealand cliff-dwelling perennial called the Poor Knights lily, famous for spectacular toothbrush-like red flower spikes after long dry summers.
84
Yellow Archangel
Lamiastrum galeobdolon
A European deadnettle with silver-marked leaves and butter-yellow spring flowers, grown for shady groundcover but invasive in Pacific Northwest forests.
85
Yerba Buena
Clinopodium douglasii
A trailing native California aromatic herb in the mint family, the original namesake of the San Francisco area and a traditional source of refreshing tea.
86
Zebra Plant
Aphelandra squarrosa
A Brazilian tropical plant with glossy dark green leaves striped white between deep veins, topped by golden bract spikes when in flower.
87
ZZ Plant
Zamioculcas zamiifolia
An East African aroid with glossy dark green leaves and underground rhizomes that store water, one of the toughest and slowest-growing houseplants.
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