Uncommon houseplants offer a distinctive appeal that sets them apart from more common varieties of indoor plants. With unique shapes, colors, and textures, these houseplants often boast rare blooms and intricate foliage patterns that will add an extraordinary touch to any space.
19 Rare Indoor Plants for Your Home
1. Desert Rose
The desert rose plant is a unique houseplant as it resembles a bonsai tree that isn’t easy to find. It’s a slow-growing plant that produces thin, delicate, pink-colored leaves.
The plant thrives in hot and dry conditions but needs a decent amount of water, a lot of light, and good drainage. Desert rose is toxic to humans and animals, so make sure to keep it out of reach of small kids and pets.
2. Lifesaver Plant
The lifesaver plant, also known as the Huernia Zebrina, is a rare flowering succulent. With its waxy yellow and brown-banded flowers that look like plastic, the plant gets its name from its lifesaver-shaped center.
These plants prefer to have bright light with partial shade, so avoid setting it in direct sunlight. Also avoid overwatering a lifesaver plant by only watering once the top inch of soil is dry.
3. Fishbone Cactus
The fishbone cactus, also known as the zig-zag cactus, is a unique trailing houseplant that sets itself apart by its leaves. When the plant blooms, it produces colorful pink flowers, which can add a pop of color to any space. The fishbone cactus grows quicker than other cacti, and it may bloom in the late summer and fall.
Known to be low-maintenance, the fishbone cactus is happiest in bright and indirect light. It also prefers moist or humid conditions. The plant needs to be watered regularly, but only once the top 2 to 3 inches of soil have dried out.
4. Euphorbia Lactea
The Euphorbia lactea is a unique plant that looks like a colorful coral reef rather than a typical cactus. These plants have spiny stems and green branches with white lines. They Need a decent amount of sunlight during the day and to be watered regularly. It doesn’t like to have dry soil, so make sure the soil is moist.
5. Rex Begonia
The spiral-patterned leaves with red borders of the Rex Begonia can add a pop of color when among other typically green houseplants. While the plant has dramatic, painted-looking leaves that draw people to it, it also grows small flowers
These plants love humidity and prefer full or partial shade.Before watering, make sure that the soil is fully dry to keep the plant healthy and happy.
6. Climbing Sea Onion
The climbing sea onion is a great houseplant for beginners and it’s unique to other house plants since it can climb. Coming from the bulb once it is spring, the plant has long, lacy foliage.
To support the plant’s growth, make sure to provide a small trellis. Also, make sure that the plant’s soil is moist, but avoid overwatering. Since it can handle a bit of neglect, it will be okay if it’s not watered for a period of time. The plant prefers bright and direct sunlight.
7. Coffee Plant
The coffee plant can bloom fragrant white flowers, which come before the growth of red berries that yield coffee beans. Toxic to humans, the coffee plant thrives in humid conditions and partial sunlight. They grow to be quite large, so spend time pruning them to help them grow back to flowering size.
8. Sensitive Plant
The sensitive plant, also called the shy plant, is known for its bright purple pom-pom flower and unique leaf movement. Because of the water movement in the plant’s cells, the leaves move in response to touch.
At night, the plant’s defense mechanism of thigmomorphogenesis kicks in and the leaves close. The plant needs bright sunlight and slightly moist but never soggy soil.If left in excess water, the plant will develop root rot. During the winter, reduce watering.
9. Banana Shrub
The banana shrub stands out from other house plants because of its sweet tropical scent. It can be identified by its yellowish cup-shaped blooms on compact shrubs.
These shrubs only need to be watered well and in partial sun. Wait until the top 1 to 2 inches of soil dries out before watering again.
10. False Shamrock Plant
The false shamrock plant can add a pop of color to a space with its uncommon deep red-purplish leaves that look like flowers. As the plant grows, tiny white or purple flowers bloom.
The plant thrives in direct sunlight, so it’s best to set it in front of a window. Additionally, the false shamrock plant should be watered regularly. It’s best to water it again after letting the soil dry.
11. Greenovia
Greenovia is a uniquely rose-shaped succulent found in pink and green varieties. Their pink color sticks out when next to other typically green succulents.
The succulent is rare, and they are native to the Canary Islands. Only water the plant when the soil is completely dry and crumbly.
12. Staghorn Fern
The staghorn fern has distinctively shaped leaves that look like animal horns, which differ from many other kinds of ferns. The plant can be kept in a hanging planter or pot, but it is common to find wooden plaques to highlight the shape of the plant’s leaves. The staghorn fern should sit in an area where it can receive indirect light and be watered regularly.
13. California Pitcher Plant
The California pitcher plant, also known as the cobra lily, has dramatic leaves that each unusually resemble the head of a cobra snake. The plant likes to eat insects, which makes it a carnivorous self-feeding plant and also one of a kind. When indoors, the plant might eat crickets, moths, stray ants, flies, spiders, and other tiny insects that tend to be unwanted in living spaces.
The plant likes to have bright sunlight and slightly moist soil. Make sure to water this plant with purified or distilled water rather than tap water; rainwater or spring water can also be used.
14. Jewel Orchid
Native to the forest floors of Southeast Asia, the jewel orchid is rare and isn’t easy to find. The jewel orchid is known for its white flower stalks and large, unique pinstripe-patterned leaves. The plant likes to have bright but indirect sunlight and should be kept slightly moist, only watering once the top inch is dry, which is about every seven to 10 days.
15. The Hoya Heart
Also known as a lucky heart or a wax heart, the Hoya Heart is an uncommon houseplant. While they are easy to take care of, they grow very slowly so it might be years before a fully grown hoya heart appears. These plants thrive when they can receive medium to bright light and only need to be watered every few weeks to keep them happy and healthy.
16. String of Dolphins
The string of dolphins, also known as the Senecio peregrinus, is unique because of its tiny leaves. Each leaf has what looks like a swimming dolphin at the end of it. The string of dolphins is rare, so many people seek it out.
Make sure to set them in a place that receives full to partial sun. Due to how the leaves retain water, these plants don’t need to be watered frequently.
The string of dolphins is toxic to pets, so keep this in mind when choosing whether or not to add this plant to a space.
17. Sundew
Like the California Pitcher Plant, the Sundew is an uncommon carnivorous plant. It collects insects by luring them into their hairy tentacle-like green leaves that are covered in a scented mucus.
Additionally, the plant blooms small white or pale pink flowers. The houseplant can grow to reach a height of 10 inches, but others might sit more on the ground.
The plant thrives in an environment that is warm, humid, and moist. Additionally, avoid using tap water during watering and instead use rainwater or distilled water.
18. Cement Leaf Plant
The cement leaf plant, also known as the concrete leaf, limestone rock plant, jewel leaf, and carpet leaf, is a mat-forming succulent that is not common to find in homes. It has thick, bumpy leaves and sometimes will produce a yellow bloom during the winter months.
For the plant to survive, provide bright sunlight, but give the plant some shade in the summer. Since the plant is dormant during the summer, it only needs to water it sparingly, but during the spring, make sure to water it more often.
19. Parachute Plant
The parachute plant is unique because of its blooms resembling a parachute descending from the sky. Since it’s a climbing plant, it grows best along a trellis.
These plants are easy to care for, so they’re a good beginner’s plant. The parachute plant thrives with filtered direct or indirect sunlight and allows the soil to become partially dry between watering.
