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 R anywhere in the name. Each of the 80 plants below opens to a full profile.
Table of contents
List of Plants That Contain R
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
Aloe Vera
Aloe barbadensis miller
A succulent plant native to the Arabian Peninsula, prized for the soothing gel in its thick fleshy leaves and grown worldwide as a houseplant.
4
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.
5
Areca Palm
Dypsis lutescens
A clumping feather-leaved palm from Madagascar, widely grown as a tropical houseplant for its arching golden stems and air-purifying reputation.
6
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.
7
Aspidistra
Aspidistra elatior
A tough, broad-leaved evergreen houseplant from East Asia known as the cast-iron plant for its near-indestructible tolerance of low light and neglect.
8
Barberry
Berberis vulgaris
A spiny deciduous shrub from Asia and Europe with tart red berries and brilliant fall color, widely planted in hedges but invasive in parts of North America.
9
Bear Grass
Xerophyllum tenax
A North American mountain plant with grass-like leaves and tall summer plumes of cream-white flowers, important to several Indigenous craft traditions.
10
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.
11
Bromeliad
Bromeliaceae
A family of tropical American plants with rosettes that often hold rainwater in a central tank, including pineapples, air plants, and many flamboyant ornamentals.
12
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.
13
Burros Tail
Sedum morganianum
A trailing Mexican succulent whose blue-green leaves overlap densely along long pendant stems, making it a popular hanging-basket houseplant.
14
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.
15
Christmas Cactus
Schlumbergera bridgesii
A Brazilian epiphytic cactus with flat segmented stems that bursts into magenta, pink, or white tubular flowers around the winter holidays.
16
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.
17
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.
18
Dusty Miller
Jacobaea maritima
A Mediterranean shrub grown as a tender perennial or annual for its felted silver-white foliage, a popular contrast plant in summer bedding schemes.
19
Easter Cactus
Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri
A South American epiphytic cactus with flat scalloped segments that produces star-shaped pink, orange, or red flowers in springtime.
20
Echeveria
Echeveria elegans
A Mexican rosette-forming succulent in jewel-toned colors, one of the most photogenic and collectible genera in modern succulent gardening.
21
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.
22
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.
23
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.
24
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.
25
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.
26
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.
27
Haworthia
Haworthia fasciata
A small South African succulent forming tight rosettes of pointed leaves, popular with collectors for the diversity of leaf shapes and translucent windows.
28
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.
29
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.
30
Jewel Orchid
Ludisia discolor
A Southeast Asian terrestrial orchid grown not for its flowers but for velvety leaves shimmering with metallic golden veins like embroidered fabric.
31
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.
32
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.
33
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.
34
Lambs Ear
Stachys byzantina
A Turkish and Iranian perennial herb with soft silvery felted leaves that feel like a lambs ear, a popular tactile plant for childrens and sensory gardens.
35
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.
36
Liverwort
Marchantia polymorpha
A worldwide group of ancient nonvascular plants forming flat green ribbons or tiny leafy mats, among the oldest land plants in the fossil record.
37
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.
38
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.
39
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.
40
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.
41
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.
42
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.
43
Ornamental Grass
Miscanthus sinensis
A broad horticultural group of clumping grasses grown for foliage, flower plumes, winter structure, and movement in modern naturalistic gardens.
44
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.
45
Pampas Grass
Cortaderia selloana
A massive South American grass with cream-white feathery flower plumes that reach four metres, a dramatic landscape grass and now popular in dried bouquets.
46
Parsley
Petroselinum crispum
A Mediterranean biennial culinary herb grown for fresh green or curled leaves used worldwide as a garnish, flavoring, and tabletop salad ingredient.
47
Peperomia
Peperomia
A vast genus of compact tropical plants with thick succulent leaves, popular as easy small houseplants in a wide range of leaf shapes and patterns.
48
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.
49
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.
50
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.
51
Prickly Pear Cactus
Opuntia ficus-indica
A widespread group of paddle-segmented cacti native to the Americas, valued for edible pads and brilliant red fruits that flavor candies and beverages.
52
Quack Grass
Elymus repens
A Eurasian perennial cool-season grass spreading aggressively by underground rhizomes, considered one of the worst lawn and crop weeds in temperate zones.
53
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.
54
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.
55
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.
56
Reed
Phragmites australis
A tall worldwide wetland grass forming dense colonies along lakes and rivers, used historically for thatching, basketry, and providing critical waterfowl habitat.
57
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.
58
Saguaro Cactus
Carnegiea gigantea
The iconic columnar cactus of the Sonoran Desert, growing to 12 metres with branching arms and white night-blooming flowers that crown its tip in early summer.
59
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.
60
Spider Lily
Hymenocallis caribaea
A tropical American bulb with strap-like leaves and large fragrant white spidery flowers that bloom in summer above clumps of foliage.
61
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.
62
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.
63
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.
64
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.
65
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.
66
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.
67
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.
68
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.
69
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.
70
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.
71
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.
72
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.
73
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.
74
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.
75
Xerographica
Tillandsia xerographica
A Guatemalan giant air plant that forms an enormous silver curly rosette without soil, the king of tillandsias and a centerpiece of modern living decor.
76
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.
77
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.
78
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.
79
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.
80
Zoysia Grass
Zoysia japonica
A warm-season Asian turf grass that forms a dense slow-growing lawn tolerant of heat, drought, and salt, popular on golf courses and in southern lawns.
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