Five Spooky Houseplants
In the spirit of the season, this month’s top five blog will feature some unique and unusual houseplants with which you may or may not be familiar. Either way, they might all look at home amidst Halloween decor.
As a reminder, always keep in mind that many tropical house plants can be irritating or toxic to children or pets.
Raven ZZ
The first plant on this list is the Zamioculcas Zamiifolia (ZZ) Raven, so named for the deep purple-black of its mature foliage. New shoots emerge a bright green, creating an interesting contrast. Like other ZZ plants, the Raven ZZ thrives in bright, indirect sunlight to maintain its colouring, but it will also survive in lower light circumstances. Similarly, ZZ plants are very drought tolerant, due to the presence of thick stems and bulky rhizomes that hold water—much like the way a camel stores water in their humps. Not only does the Raven ZZ provide a great spooky aesthetic, these are some of the most simple and tolerant plants to care for year round.
Alocasia Red Secret
Also known as the Alocasia Cuprea, this variety of alocasia has an oval style leaf with a red-coppery front and a deep purple back. The leaves have a unique sheen that can make them look metallic in certain lighting. Like other alocasias, the red secret prefers bright, indirect light—direct light could damage the shiny leaves—and a moderately high level of consistent humidity. Alocasias thrive in a chunky, well-draining medium; keep the soil somewhat damp below the surface, but not so moist as to invite root rot.
Brain Cactus
One of the spookiest looking plants on this list, the brain cactus—Mammillaria elongata—is a crested form of cactus with defined wavy ridges, giving the appearance of a brain. Which, for many of us, is a Halloween aesthetic staple. Brain cacti are slow-growing and compact, maintaining a low form no more than a foot across. These plants require bright sunlight, with minimal late afternoon exposure. Like many other cacti, water infrequently when the soil is dry, but keep water away from the folds of the cactus to avoid the risk of rot. Keep in a well-draining cactus mix. Although the brain cactus is non-toxic to cats and dogs, it does have sharp spines.
Venus Flytrap
One of the key members of the carnivorous plant family, the venus flytrap is another plant central to the spooky season aesthetic. The venus flytrap has a distinctive clamshell-like “jaw” which clamps shut around insects and small arachnids once small hairs inside the jaw are triggered. Like other carnivorous species, venus flytraps adapted from nutrient-poor environments like swamps and other wetlands. The plant obtains those missing nutrients from the insects it catches instead. When caring for carnivorous plants in your home, keep in mind most plant fertilizers can be harmful to carnivorous roots, and they require distilled (not tap) water. Because of the natural conditions in which they developed, these plants also require their roots to remain in water most of the time.
Begonia Cracklin’ Rosie
The last plant on this list, the Cracklin’ Rosie Begonia, was just one of many varieties of begonia that also would have been at home on a spooky plants list. Many forms feature purple, red, black, or bright green patterns to their leaves. The rosie produces juvenile leaves in a range of copper to burgundy, which mature to deep green/black with white speckled dots. The backs of the leaves are a vivid red, making this angel leaf form look like it might have arrived from a different planet. Houseplant begonia varieties prefer bright, indirect sunlight, and moderate to high humidity. Begonias do better with bottom watering, both to strengthen the roots and to prevent damage to the leaves.
Maybe you’ll find a new plant from this list to bring home this spooky season.
Until next time!
