Types of Spider Plants: 8 Named Varieties Compared

Almost every spider plant sold is a cultivar of one species, Chlorophytum comosum, and the types differ mainly in where the pale stripe sits on the leaf and whether the leaves curl. NC State Extension's plant toolbox lists eight named cultivars:

• 'Vittatum': medium green leaves with a wide, creamy white stripe down the centre.
• 'Variegatum': green leaves with white or cream margins, the reverse of 'Vittatum'. Wisconsin Horticulture describes the leaves as relatively broad.
• 'Milky Way': a broad white or cream centre with green margins.
• 'White Stripe': a narrow white or cream line only along the central vein.
• 'Picturatum': a central yellow stripe instead of white.
• 'Bonnie': green leaves that curl and twist.
• 'Bonnie Variegated': curled leaves with creamy white stripes.
• 'Hawaiian': variegation on new leaves that fades as the leaves age.

The plain green species itself is also sold, usually just as green spider plant.

Look at one mature, flat leaf in good light and ask three questions:

• Is the pale colour in the centre or at the edges? Centre stripe: 'Vittatum', 'Milky Way' (very broad centre), 'White Stripe' (a thin line) or 'Picturatum' (yellow). Pale edges with a green centre: 'Variegatum'.
• Do the leaves curl or twist? Then it is a 'Bonnie' type; striped curls are 'Bonnie Variegated'.
• Are only the young leaves striped? Then it may be 'Hawaiian', whose variegation fades with age (NC State).

Do not rely on the shop label alone. Retail names are used loosely; PlantVine, for example, describes its Reverse Variegated spider plant with green centres and creamy white margins, which is the pattern NC State gives for 'Variegatum', and describes its Hawaiian as glossy dark green with creamy stripes down the centre, which is not how NC State describes 'Hawaiian'. Go by the leaf pattern. A PlantLens scan confirms the species; the cultivar you read from the leaf.

Neither extreme: bright to medium indirect light. NC State says spider plants prefer medium light, tolerate deep shade and do not tolerate direct sunlight, and Wisconsin Horticulture recommends medium to bright light all year. Keep it back from a hot, sunny window. All eight cultivars share these needs, since they are the same species.

The drawbacks are minor, and the same for every cultivar:

• Brown leaf tips. Wisconsin lists low humidity, very dry soil, salt build-up and fluoride or chlorine in tap water as causes.
• Root rot if overwatered. The thick, fleshy roots store water, so the plant copes with missed waterings better than with soggy soil (Wisconsin).
• Scale insects and mealybugs, the only pests Wisconsin mentions.
• Cats like to chew them. The plant is non-toxic (NC State), but chewed leaves look ragged; see our spider plant and pets page.

Our spider plant care guide covers fixes for each.

We did not find a lifespan figure from a university or botanical source; the numbers quoted online vary widely and are not referenced. What the sources do establish is that the spider plant is a perennial that renews itself: Wisconsin explains that it sends out long stems with plantlets in response to short days and long nights of at least three weeks, and those plantlets root easily. In practice a spider plant can be kept going indefinitely by potting up its babies, so the age of any one pot matters less than keeping a young plant rooted as a backup.

Choose by where it will go, since the care is the same:

• Hanging basket: any of the arching striped types; Wisconsin says the species suits hanging containers where the plantlet stems can drape.
• Shelf or desk where trailing stems would get in the way: a 'Bonnie' type, whose leaves curl and twist rather than hanging straight (NC State).
• The strongest contrast: 'Vittatum' or 'Milky Way' for a bright centre, 'Variegatum' for a white outline.
• A dimmer room: every type prefers medium light and tolerates deep shade (NC State).

Research and drafting for this page were done with the help of AI, and every figure was then checked line by line against the sources listed at the end. Where sources disagree, we say so rather than pick one silently. If you find a mistake, tell us and we will correct it.