Nothing describes an attractive houseplant better than those with striped foliage. They make quite the show when planted in indoor gardens.
Another good thing about these naturally striped leaves is that they are available in lots of varieties that even beginners can comfortably plant with ease.
In this article, we'll give you an outline of 25 plants with naturally striped leaves that you can choose from to beautify your space.
Let’s get started!
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- Plants With Naturally Striped Leaves
- 1. Croton 'Codiaeum Variegatum'
- 2. Mother in Law's Tongue 'Sansevieria Trifasciata'
- 3. Wandering Jew 'Tradescantia pallid.'
- 4. Calathea 'Calathea Makoyana'
- 5. Pleomele 'Dracena Reflexa'
- 6. African Mask Plant 'Alocasia Sanderiana'
- 7. Bromeliads
- 8. Nerve Plant 'Fittonia'
- 9. Ti Plant 'Cordyline Minalis'
- 10. Spider Plant 'Chlorophytum comosum.'
- 11. Philodendron Birkin
- 12. Prayer Plant 'Maranta leuconeura.'
- 13. Watermelon Peperomia 'Peperomia Argyreia'
- 14. Moses in the Cradle Plant 'Tradescantia Spathacea'
- 15. Calathea ‘Orbifolia’
- 16. Zebra Plant 'Aphelandra squarrosa.'
- 17. Zebra Cactus 'Haworthiopsis attenuata.'
- 18. Pinstripe Calathea 'Calathea Ornata'
- 19. Alocasia Polly 'Alocasia Amazonica'
- 20. Green Velvet Alocasia 'Alocasia Micholitziana Frydek'
- 21. Picasso 'Peace lily.'
- 22. Spotted Chinese Evergreen
- 23. Manjula Pothos
- 24. 'Variegated Banana'
- 25. 'Variegated Cast Iron Plant'
Plants With Naturally Striped Leaves
1. Croton 'Codiaeum Variegatum'
One of the most delicate striped plants on our list and is loved by many gardeners because of its beautiful striped foliage available in an array of eye-catching colors like orange, red, pink, green, and even yellow.
Important things to note about this plant are that they detest being moved around too frequently. This is why they sometimes shed too much of their leaves when moving.
To get the croton plant well established, plant in a place where they can get sufficient amounts of bright sunlight, humidity, warmth, and constant misting, mostly in scorching weather.
2. Mother in Law's Tongue 'Sansevieria Trifasciata'
As the name somewhat implies, this plant is characterized by very succulent leaves that are spiky and long.
A vital advantage of this plant is that they are straightforward to plant and manage, even for beginners, needing minimal watering and other care practices. They are also quite firm and can withstand low light conditions.
Their stripes are colored green with some variants in yellow and are horizontally shaped along the exterior edges.
3. Wandering Jew 'Tradescantia pallid.'
The perfect choice if you are looking for a striped indoor plant with a burst of colors. The name 'Wandering Jew' rightly suits it as you would find them to be creeping plants, fit to be used as a hanging planter or placed atop a shelf.
Best care practices for this plant are to feed it with lots of bright but indirect sunlight and avoid watering directly into the crown to prevent a case of root rot. When placed in a site with low light, the once colorful leaves react negatively by fading off slowly.
4. Calathea 'Calathea Makoyana'
The Calathea would need lots of warmth and humidity when being grown. Quite a popular choice when it comes to striped houseplant leaves, but all the same, not recommended for novice gardeners because of their sensitivity to cold or any slight change in their growing conditions.
The Calathea is beautiful and is known by another alias like the 'peacock or zebra' plant.
5. Pleomele 'Dracena Reflexa'
The Pleomele's are native to subtropical regions and, as expected, love warm, humid climates. To grow them successfully away from the tropics, you need to guarantee a sufficient dose of bright but indirect sunlight and constant misting.
Dracena, also known as 'Corn plants or Dragon plants,' is characterized by long, green leaves with beautifully contrasting yellow stripes.
Please note that they are toxic to animals and should be kept away from pets if you have any.
6. African Mask Plant 'Alocasia Sanderiana'
It is characterized by very dark green leaves with streaks of white or green veins. You can establish them without stress by supplying them with adequate water, indirect light, and humidity.
Please do note that the African Mask is toxic, both to humans and animals. It is best to keep them out of the reach of children or pets.
7. Bromeliads
Bromeliads are of different types, including those bearing stripes on the leaves. They are characterized by large modified leaves called bracts.
Bromeliads are humid-loving indoor plants. They grow best under bright but indirect sunlight. Direct sunlight would have their leaves burning.
8. Nerve Plant 'Fittonia'
The Nerve plant is lovely to behold. They are tiny with dark green foliage with white or sometimes pink stripes.
This plant is ideal to plant close to bathrooms or anywhere with high humidity as they love moisture. Their mature height size is about 15cm, making them the perfect choice for compact homes.
9. Ti Plant 'Cordyline Minalis'
These tropical plants are available in various bright colors like green, purple, red, pink, etc.
It is important to note that using any water containing fluoride will turn the bright colors of this leaf brown. It is safe to use rain or filtered water.
For best results, have them planted under bright but indirect sunlight and high humidity.
10. Spider Plant 'Chlorophytum comosum.'
This unique plant spots new offshoots hanging down pretty on the plant, looking like baby spiders, hence the name 'Spider Plant.'
We will recommend this for novice gardeners as they are pretty easy to grow and maintain, strong also to tolerant of a wide range of unpleasant conditions, and offer excellent aesthetics, too, with their long green and white striped leaves.
11. Philodendron Birkin
This once-rare plant has features enough to earn a spot on the list of 'must grow' striped plants. It is compact, unlike other philodendron variants making it a top choice for the houseplant.
Native to the rain forests of Brazil, the plant would require constant misting and high humidity to grow well. Birkins are fast growers, but that can only be achieved when the right conditions for its growth are seen to.
12. Prayer Plant 'Maranta leuconeura.'
Another native plant of the tropical rain forests of Brazil, you can quickly identify this plant with its variegated leaves with vein-like streaks. At night when the leaves curl slightly, a splash of deep red color is revealed.
Prayer plants are available in many variants, but the tri-colored one with red, silver or dark green patches stands out the most.
They can be a bit complicated to grow and, as such, not for beginners.
13. Watermelon Peperomia 'Peperomia Argyreia'
Words cannot adequately explain the kind of beauty this plant offers to your space.
The plants are as delicate as they are beautiful. Their big bulky leaves with fancy silvery stripes are supported by stems that are not so strong. This results in the shedding of a few of its leaves now and then.
The Watermelon Peperomia is native to South Africa. They grow best under mid-light and do not appreciate too much watering as it might lead to a collapse of the stems.
On the bright side, the beautiful watermelon Peperomia is relatively easy to propagate.
14. Moses in the Cradle Plant 'Tradescantia Spathacea'
A rare houseplant with a queer name, but worth acquiring due to the many benefits it offers. Its flowers are small and white, and they grow in a boat-like shaped bract hence the name 'Moses in the Cradle.’
The plant is a typical low-maintenance one, requiring minimal care and attention.
Have them planted in a place with high humidity, so get them constantly misted several times a week, or better still, use a humidifier.
As attractive as their pink leaves are, Moses in the Cradle plant are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so handle them with care.
15. Calathea ‘Orbifolia’
Looking for a plant that will give you that tropical feel? The Calathea Orbifolia is just what you need.
This green with silver striped leaves is usually 8 - 12 inches wide and has brilliant leathery foliage with an appealing light green streak.
They need just several things to get properly established. Good soil moisture against soggy soil and bright indirect sunlight against direct sunlight will see them growing the right way.
An additional advantage of these plants is that they have been proven to be nontoxic to humans and animals; therefore, they are safe to plant in the house.
16. Zebra Plant 'Aphelandra squarrosa.'
Like a zebra, this adorable Brazil native plant spots dark green leaves with beautiful white stripes.
Conditions for good growth include warm temperature, increased humidity, moist but not soggy potting mix, and bright but indirect sunlight.
Zebra plants are not fast growers but would be able to attain a few feet when planted indoors. Furthermore, they are non-toxic and safe to have in your space.
17. Zebra Cactus 'Haworthiopsis attenuata.'
Another solid example of an easy-care plant, the Zebra Cactus plant, will thrive with minimal care.
With this native South African plant, you do not have to worry about humidity. With ample sunshine and warmth, you can get them off to a great start.
Watering should also be done sparingly to avoid leaf rot. Zebra Cactus spot a not-so-impressive flowering when they bloom; the good thing is that they are safe and nontoxic for humans and animals.
18. Pinstripe Calathea 'Calathea Ornata'
Quite the fussy plant but an overly rewarding plant. Native to South America, the key features of this outstanding plant are its glossy dark green leaves with great pink stripes and impressive height size of about 30cm.
To get them growing right, have them planted in a place where they can enjoy high humidity to keep dry leaf edges at bay.
Also, keep their sweet pink stripes sharp and bright by shielding the leaves from increased sunlight.
An added benefit of this plant is that it is non-toxic to animals and plants.
19. Alocasia Polly 'Alocasia Amazonica'
Topping the list of beautiful houseplants you need in your space.
This plant with dark green leaves, strong white streaks, and finely curved edges will brighten your room.
20. Green Velvet Alocasia 'Alocasia Micholitziana Frydek'
Green Velvet is a classy and exquisite houseplant. They are Velvet textured deep green leaves, which come in unique arrowhead shapes that are finely decorated with brilliant white veins.
They make quite a show when planted in your indoor gardens.
21. Picasso 'Peace lily.'
They are highly adored for their beautiful aesthetics. The Picasso has leaves resembling brush strokes with beautiful white streaks.
22. Spotted Chinese Evergreen
This shade-loving plant features long dark leaves with tiny streaks of white. They are pretty low-maintenance plants and good air purifiers.
23. Manjula Pothos
Heart shaped with sparkling white streaks against a dark green hue developed by the University of Florida.
24. 'Variegated Banana'
Beautiful banana plant with fantastic coloring. For best results, keep them where they can enjoy bright, indirect sunlight.
25. 'Variegated Cast Iron Plant'
Dark green leaves with white streaks, extremely low maintenance, and detests prolonged direct sunlight.