Chlorophytum comosum (Thunb.) Jacques

Spider Plant

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Spider Plant is an introduced herbaceous perennial in the Century-Plant family (Agavaceae). It is native to tropical and southern Africa. Spider Plant has been reported as introduced in Australia and the southern United States (Alabama, Florida, and Georgia). In Alabama it has been collected as an escape in Conecuh County. It was found growing in a disturbed urban woodlot on the slopes of a small stream. Spider Plant is a perennial with fleshy, tuberous roots. The linear leaves occur in clumps and have entire margins and are glabrous and slightly fleshy. Flowers are produced in an elongated, branched inflorescence. The tips of the branches of the inflorescence develop into plantlets with adventitious roots. When the plantlets come into contact with the soil, they develop into new plants. Flowers are produced along the inflorescence in groups of 1-6 subtended by a bract. Each flower has 6 white tepals and 6 stamens with yellow anthers. The fruit is a capsule. Spider Plant is a common houseplant often grown in hanging baskets. In warmer areas of the state it is sometimes planted as a groundcover in shady areas or as a filler in flower beds. Several cultivars with variegated foliage are available.—A. Diamond

First collected in A. Diamond in 2013

Not Native

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