Plants with big leaves make great lush foliage addition to indoor environments. Tropical large-leafed house plants generally thrive indoors.
For instance, tropical foliage species like philodendron, monstera, fiddle leaf fig, and dumb cane plants add tropics to any home. Meanwhile, colorful ones enhance your home's interior.
Tropical plants with big leaves are leafy species growing outdoors in USDA zones 10 to 12 and do best in bright, indirect sunlight and relatively humid atmospheres like jungles or the tropics.
In this article, we will look at some of the most popular plants with big leaves that'll make a statement in your room and complement your home décor.
Jump to:
- Some Popular Plants with Big Leaves
- 1. Elephant Ear Plant (Colocasia)
- 2. Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia)
- 3. Umbrella Plant (Schefflera arboricola)
- 4. Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus lyrata)
- 5. Canna Lily (Canna indica)
- 6. Monstera Deliciosa
- 7. Jungle Velvet Calathea (Calathea warscewiczii)
- 8. Philodendron Xanadu
- 9. Croton Plants (Codiaeum variegatum)
- 10. Rubber Tree (Ficus elastica)
- 11. Persian Shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus)
- 12. African Mask Plant (Alocasia amazonica)
- 13. Red Aglaonema
- 14. Philodendron Gloriosum
- 15. Heliconia Plants
- 16. Banana Tree Plant (Musa)
- 17. Peacock Plant (Calathea makoyana)
- 18. Majesty Palm (Ravenna rivularis)
- 19. Calathea orbifolia
- 20. Tropic Snow Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia seguine)
- 21. Ruffled Fan Palm (Licuala grandis)
- 22. Colorful Ti Plants (Cordyline fruticosa)
- 23. Tropical Bromeliad Houseplant (Bromeliaceae)
- 24. Caladium
- 25. Calathea Medallion
- 26. Network Plant (Calathea music)
- 27. Lady Palm
- 28. Hostas
- 29. Cast Iron Plant
- 30. Corn Plant
- Conclusion
Some Popular Plants with Big Leaves
1. Elephant Ear Plant (Colocasia)
Even though the elephant ear plant primarily grows outdoors, it can also be a perfect option for your indoor décor, thanks to its big, beautiful leaves.
Its leaves can reach about 3 feet long, depending on the variety. Meanwhile, the colocasia thrives in bright, indirect light and moist, well-draining peat-rich soil. Ensure no kid or pet comes near it since it is pretty toxic.
2. Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia)
Strelitzia is a tropical plant with big leaves growing in a self-heading habit. In other words, its foliage grows in layers from one central stalk. It is called a bird of paradise because of its unique blooms, resembling a flying bird.
Once the bird of paradise gets established, its indoor varieties can grow up to 7 feet tall and 4 feet wide. However, you must keep them away from the reach of kids, pets, and horses. This plant thrives in bright direct to indirect light, watering once the soil is dry, and does well in loamy, rich, well-drained soil.
3. Umbrella Plant (Schefflera arboricola)
Commonly called Umbrella Plant, the Schefflera arboricola is a beautiful tropical indoor plant with big palmate leaves that brings out the beauty of your lush green interiors.
It features groups of bright small leaves growing in a circular style on the long stem ends. It got its name from how the foliage is set like an umbrella.
4. Fiddle Leaf Fig (Ficus lyrata)
Fiddle leaf fig is a trendy houseplant that can enhance the beauty of any room. It features big, waxy, fiddle-shaped leaves and requires pruning into many different shapes. Aside from its popularity, the plant has this temperamental feature and is difficult to care for.
However, given the perfect growing and care conditions, you can expect the fiddle leaf fig tree to develop into a full-sized tree. Meanwhile, its size is typically restricted when grown indoors in pots and with careful pruning.
It will thrive in bright, indirect light, watering once the soil is dry, and does best in rich, well-draining potting medium. It is toxic to humans and pets.
5. Canna Lily (Canna indica)
The Canna lily is a colorful exotic blooming plant with gorgeous green or variegated leaves. Its leaves are large, reaching around 12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm) and 8 inches (20cm) wide.
Its tropical leaves grow on arching stems, rising between 1.5 and 8 feet (0.5 and 2.5 m) tall. This plant develops clusters of stunning blooms stretching up above the big pointed ovate leaves.
6. Monstera Deliciosa
Famously known as Instagram's favorite plant, the monstera deliciosa is an enormous houseplant with lovely big fenestrated leaves. Its leaves grow about 3 to 4 feet long.
It gives a room a tropical feel, and when you grow it indoors, it tends to reach about 10 feet tall. Meanwhile, deliciosa thrives in bright indirect light, well-draining rich soil, and requires watering once dry.
7. Jungle Velvet Calathea (Calathea warscewiczii)
One of the most popular big-leafed plants that will give your environment a stunning tropical feel is Jungle Velvet Calathea.
It is a unique plant with long tropical leaves, a velvety purple underside, and green fishbone patterns on the upper side. This calathea specie thrives in bright indirect sunlight and rich, well-drained soil.
8. Philodendron Xanadu
The philodendron Xanadu specie features unique big, leathery, lobed leaves, making it a perfect option as a central piece of any room. The more the plant gets established, the more intricate its leaves grow alongside giant lobes.
Philodendron Xanadu thrives in bright indirect light to medium indirect light, well-draining soil, and watering when the soil is dry. Meanwhile, each leaf can reach about 40cm long and 30cm wide and have 10 to 15 lobes. It is a very poisonous plant; hence should be kept out of the reach of kids and pets.
9. Croton Plants (Codiaeum variegatum)
Another unique houseplant with big colorful leaves is the Croton. The foliage of this stunning plant is among the most colorful and exotic as long as tropical indoor plants are concerned. Its colors range from red to green, yellow to orange, and bright orange.
In addition, out of the 100 or more Codiaeum variegatum varieties feature plants with big leaves that could be egg-shaped, oblong, lanceolate, or violin-shaped.
Croton species generally reach a maximum of 3 feet (1m). its big leaves grow in dense clusters to produce a beautiful exotic feel to a modern interior.
10. Rubber Tree (Ficus elastica)
The Ficus elastica is a trendy houseplant with a wide range of colors and shapes. It features big, waxy leaves that can be focal to any indoor space. It thrives in bright, direct sun indoors, prefers moist, well-draining soil in the growing season, and is toxic to cats, dogs, and humans.
In its natural habitat, the rubber tree can reach about 50 feet tall, while indoors, you can control its size and shape by pruning and restricting its root.
11. Persian Shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus)
Persian shield is an exotic houseplant with big purple leaves that provide iridescent shine. It is a tropical plant with lanceolate leaves that can reach around 7 inches long and 3 inches wide (18 x 7.5 cm).
Its densely growing foliage produces a shrubby container plant indoors growing up to 3 feet (1m) tall and wide. It is also called the royal purple plant, thanks to its tropical purple foliage.
12. African Mask Plant (Alocasia amazonica)
The African Mask Plant is a stunning indoor plant with big deep green leaves accentuated by deep white or light green veining.
It features leaves that are roughly arrowhead or heart-shaped, with underside leaves that are often deep purple. It grows best in bright, indirect light and rich, moist, well-drained soil. It is toxic to humans and pets.
13. Red Aglaonema
Native to tropical areas, the red aglaonema features beautiful red leaves with touches of green. The exotic plant grows heart-shaped and lance-shaped leaves, and some of its most attractive varieties feature variegated red or pink and green colors.
Red aglaonema's leaves reach up to 4 to 12 inches (10 to 30 cm) long and 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) wide. They can reach about 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to 1 m) tall if you grow them in pots indoors. Its most stunning red-colored varieties include the Siam Red, Siam Aglaonema, Red Emerald, and Red Anjamani.
14. Philodendron Gloriosum
Philodendron gloriosum is an incredible big-leafed philodendron variety featuring velvety deep green leaves alongside white veining.
The gloriosum thrives in bright, indirect sunlight and rich, well-draining soil and is toxic to humans and pets. It is a relatively rare plant that you'll hardly find in local garden centers except online or from a local collector.
15. Heliconia Plants
Heliconia Plant is a genus of exotic flowering plants from tropical rainforests. This unique plant features big banana-like leaves that reach 6 feet to 10 feet (15cm to 3 m) tall on sturdy stalks.
One of the most enticing features of this plant is that it produces blooms that look like a bird's beak, more or less like the bird of paradise flowers.
This giant leaf species features red or orange-colored blooms and is primarily native to Florida and California. Depending on the species, it can produce orange, pink, red, or yellow flowers.
However, it can grow indoors in a very spacious room in pots. Heliconia plants have several specie names, including toucan beak, wild plantain, lobster-claws, and false bird of paradise.
16. Banana Tree Plant (Musa)
Another popular big-leafed plant on our list is the banana tree, most notable for its giant tropical foliage. Its mature variety can produce leaves about 2 feet wide and 9 feet long.
Even though it is popularly known as an outdoor plant, you can grow it indoors in bright, sunny spots and moist, well-draining soil, especially in its growing season.
17. Peacock Plant (Calathea makoyana)
The peacock plant derives its name from its ornamental green patterned leaves that resemble a gorgeous peacock's tail. It is a big-leafed plant that can grow up to 3 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide.
It is a calathea specie that thrives best indoors in its right growing conditions, like bright, indirect sunlight, moist, well-draining soil, and little fertilizing.
18. Majesty Palm (Ravenna rivularis)
The Majesty Palm is a gorgeous and famous indoor palm tree that can reach about 10 feet tall, even though it has a reasonably slow-growing habit. It features large green fronds growing on top of multiple stalks. It is tricky to keep happy indoors, and ideal for those without a green thumb.
To keep your majesty's palm happy and at its best, you must provide it with perfect light, temperature, and fertilizing conditions. For instance, it will do best in bright, indirect light, cactus or succulent soil mix, and requires an evenly moist soil that is not soggy.
19. Calathea orbifolia
Calathea orbifolia is a variety of prayer plants unique for its big orb-shaped leaves. This stunning plant prefers bright, indirect light and evenly moist soil that is rich and well-draining. It thrives when its humidity is high, making it challenging for some plant enthusiasts to keep it happy indoors.
20. Tropic Snow Dumb Cane (Dieffenbachia seguine)
The equatorial snow dumb cane is among the largest types of dumb cane specie and, as houseplants, can reach about 10 feet tall. It features big, variegated leaves and is easy to care for and maintain.
Meanwhile, this specie can survive lots of neglect and low light condition and is not fussy about soil. But the ground must be well-drained. It is toxic to humans and pets.
21. Ruffled Fan Palm (Licuala grandis)
Ruffled fan palm is a stunning and unique palm specie with big, pleated leaves resembling hand fans. Even though getting your hands on a ruffled palm can be tricky, it is relatively easy to grow indoors.
Pick a spot in your home that gets bright, indirect light, and let about one or two top inches of the soil dry between watering. Ensure the plant is well-draining.
22. Colorful Ti Plants (Cordyline fruticosa)
If you are looking for a plant that will add color and exotic foliage to your room, you should look at something other than Ti plants. It features big red or pink lanceolate leaves with fiery-looking spiky foliage growing in a rosette shape. Meanwhile, the plant can grow up to 2 to 4 feet indoors.
It has varieties of species with spectacular foliage, including Rubra Cordyline (Cordyline fruticose 'Rubra'), Cordyline fruticose 'Firebrand,' and Cordyline fruticose 'Lilinoe.'
To experience the stunning multicolored red and green exotic foliage indoors, you must place Ti plants in bright light to receive at least a few hours of full sun every day.
23. Tropical Bromeliad Houseplant (Bromeliaceae)
The exotic bromeliad species thrive best indoors and can add an attractive tropical feel to your indoor space. Most of its species feature big, broad, pointed green leaves that grow in a clustered rosette pattern.
Some come in red, maroon, white, gold, or yellow leaves and do well in low-light conditions and high humidity levels.
24. Caladium
Caladium species are excellent, unique tropical plants featuring eye-catching, beautiful foliage. They are exotic species with either heart-shaped (cordata) leaves or strap leaves and have showy multicolored foliage with stunning colors like bright red, deep pink, pure white, or luscious green.
Several tropical caladium species are cultivars of the Caladium bicolor featuring stunning exotic foliage thanks to their colorful patterns.
Some are heart-shaped with deep green leaves and contrasting lipstick red or pink veins that seem to bleed into the leaf, while other species feature large white, almost translucent leaves with green margins.
25. Calathea Medallion
Another unique specie from the calathea genus that can supply your indoor space with its beautiful foliage colors is the Calathea Medallion.
It is a stunning tropical plant featuring rounded oval leaves with leaf-like green and lime-yellow designs. Like other calathea species, it thrives in bright indirect sunlight.
26. Network Plant (Calathea music)
One of the most beautiful species of the calathea family is the network plant. Scientifically called Calathea music, this stunning plant is unique thanks to its large light green leaves with delicate network-like patterns resembling a binary code. You'll hardly see anything like this plant.
27. Lady Palm
Also known as a parlor plant because of the sizeable elegant nature of its leaves. It is also a slow-growing palm well suited for indoor growth and helps purify and filter the air. This unique plant thrives in bright, indirect light, and you must water only when the top two inches of soil feels dry.
28. Hostas
Native to Northeast Asia, Hostas are shade-tolerant plants featuring big leaves with beautiful colors ranging from bright emerald green to silvery blue color leaves. The best spot for your hostas is a shady spot in your home in rich organic soil that is slightly acidic.
29. Cast Iron Plant
Cast iron plant features large green leaves suited to a visible area of your living room, dining, or sitting room. It can reach about 3 feet tall.
However, you must plant it in a spot that receives low to moderate light without direct sunlight. Cast iron is a hardy, low-maintenance plant that will survive several environmental conditions.
30. Corn Plant
The corn plant is widely considered one of the oldest houseplants as far as domestic popularity is concerned and has existed since the mid-1800s.
It thrives in the full shade of the sun and doesn't require much water. It is ideal for small apartments with tight spaces, thanks to its tall and narrow nature, reaching about 4 to 6 feet tall in pots.
Conclusion
Apart from their enormous leaves, plants with big leaves can also brighten up a garden space. They give the landscape a different look and help to fill up a little bit of needless, empty spaces.
They are easier to maintain than you think, but you must provide them with the right growing conditions to thrive.
