Last Updated on October 31, 2021 by Phil
Most plants have solid green leaves. Unfortunately, if you fill your home with that same color, things start to become more bland. So, a good way to add some life to that is by growing some of the best houseplants with stripes.
Striped houseplants come in many different varieties. They have different shapes, colors, sizes and textures. Many have their own unique features as well, with some having more odd quirks.
That said, adding striped or variegated houseplants quickly brings variety to your home’s interior décor.
But, with so many to choose from, which are the prettiest?
Here are the most beautiful houseplants with stripes that are likewise easy to care for.
13 Stunning Houseplants with Stripes
Calathea Zebrina
The calathea zebrina is often referred to as the zebra plant. That’s because of its very prominent stripes.
When buying this plant, make sure you know what you’re looking for. If you can’t remember its details, bring a photo or two for reference.
The reason is that many stores mislabel them or other plants as zebra plants. That’s because there are a few other Zebrina plants from other genus. As such, there can sometimes be labeling issues or others just use them interchangeably.
Spider Plant
If you’re just starting out or want an easy to care for houseplant, the spider plant is something I highly recommend.
It is beautiful to look at thanks to its unique arching leaves that are light green in color with yellowish stripes.
More importantly, it requires very little care and maintenance. Even if you neglect it, it won’t just die on you.
This makes it easy to learn how to care for a plant especially when it comes to watering and feeding. Plus, it can tolerant low light rooms.
Calathea Orbifolia
The calathea orbifolia originates from Bolivia, where it lives in the forest floors. As such, it is another amazing houseplant with stripes that does not need a lot of sunlight.
While it does grow better with bright, indirect light, it will tolerate something less than that without harm.
But, do avoid overly hot and intense sunlight exposure. Otherwise, you’ll see its leaves get burned.
It’s native environment makes it well-suited for homes since the temperature in tropical regions is very similar to that where we live.
Croton
Crotons are one of the most beautiful striped houseplants thanks to their color variation. Often, you’ll see a couple of colors in some uniform manner. But, with crotons, the colors seem to vary from leaf to leaf making them amazing to look at.
Because of this no two crotons are identical. In most cases, they’re grown as houseplants because they only survive outdoors all year long in USDA Hardiness Zones 11 and 12. Although, you can always keep them in containers so you can take them out during the summertime and bring them back indoors once things get colder in the fall.
That said, be aware that crotons will grow up to 10 feet high when kept outside. Indoors, they’re much smaller. You can likewise limit their size by controlling the size of the container.
Snake Plant
Snake plants also rank among the top when it comes to houseplants with stripes, especially for beginners. They’re almost indestructible and can take a lot of neglect and abuse.
As such, they’re likewise a good option if you’re very busy or tend to forget to water or feed your houseplants.
Snake plants don’t have as much variegation like some of the others on our list of striped houseplants. But, their simplicity in colored stripes is well-complemented by the unique texture of the green sections of its foliage. If you look closely, they’re not completely solid green.
Instead, you have some kind of subtle pattern which changes for each leaf.
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Calathea Ornata (Pinstripe Calathea)
Commonly known as the Pinstripe Calathea, the plant gets its name from thin strips that line its foliage. These make it look very elegant especially against the dark green backdrop of the leaves.
Calathea ornata are perennials that belong to the prayer plant family. As such, it closes its leaves after dusk as nightfall comes. Then, reopens this in the morning to absorb more sunlight.
The opening and closing actions is done by a number of plants. And, because it looks like hands folding up in prayer, they’re collectively called prayer plants.
That said, there is an actual prayer plant, the Maranta leuconeura, as you’ll see below. It too is a striped plant. And, it looks very much like the pinstripe calathea. As such, the Calathea ornata is sometimes mistaken or mislabeled as that prayer plant, which it isn’t.
Philodendron Birkin
If you’re looking for a lovely houseplant with large leaves and delicate stripes, check out the Philodendron Birkin.
These are fast growing plants so they’re perfect if you don’t have any patience for those that grow a leaf or so every one to two months.
It is likewise easy to care for as it tolerates neglect and can survive in low light conditions. Inconsistent watering is also something it has no problem with.
Watermelon Peperomia
Watermelon peperomia get their name because the variegations on their leaves look like the skin of watermelons. This makes them beautiful and very unique, especially when it comes to plants.
Unfortunately, their beauty are fairly rare. As such, they’re very expensive.
As such, unless you have a friend who’s propagating them and gifting you one, be prepared to shell out more some cash. Some can cost around $50 or so but others will easily pass a few hundred bucks.
Calathea Makoyana (Peacock houseplants)
In case you prefer large foliage with intricate striping, the peacock plant may be a good idea.
As you can probably guess, the plant gets its name from the lovely designs on its leaves. These make it among the most sought after houseplants with strips thanks to its handsome looks.
That said, you do want to be careful with it because it requires high humidity to maintain its looks. Ideally, it needs indoor humidity of 60% or higher to grow at its best.
As such, you’ll want to place it on a water bath on top of rocks or use a humidifier which gives you better control of the humidity levels in a room.
Wandering Jew
The wandering Jew is also called the Spiderwort plant. The latter doesn’t really sound all too great so you don’t hear it often. And, although the plant has a botanical name, it is likewise difficult to pronounce (and long as well), Tradescantia fluminensis.
As such, most people just refer to this lovely houseplant with stries as the Wandering Jew plant.
This is the prefect houseplant if you want something small. It grows to only about 9 inches at best. As such, it works great on tabletops and furniture. It will likewise easily fit in shelves as well.
Hawaiian Ti Plant
If you want to add a flare or color to your garden landscape or home interior, here’s something to consider.
The Hawaiin Ti plant is has very subtle stripes that come in different colors. This gives its foliage a lot of character.
Do note that there are a few varieties. And, these come in different colors as well. The one I love most is the pink-red-purple one (Red Sister). Although, you can check out the Maria or Florida ti plants as well which have amazing hues too.
Outdoors they can grow up to 10 feet tall. But, they’re much smaller indoors as a container houseplant. The latter also gives you the advantage of being able to control the conditions much better.
Nerve Plant
The nerve plant is commonly known as the mosaic plant thanks to is amazingly complex network of strips. This makes it among the most beautiful houseplants with stripes.
They are likewise also available in a variety of different colors, so you can pick out the one that looks best for you.
Known botanically as fittonia, this is a group of evergreen perennials that short in stature. They only get to about 6 inches high but spread out to as wide as 12 to 18 inches.
As such, they’re perfect if you’re looking for a houseplant or something to decorate your office.
Prayer Plant (Maranta)
The prayer plant is ranks among the top striped houseplants when it comes to style and color. It is very hard to find something as unique looking as the leaves on this plant.
To add to that, it folds up in prayer-like fashion once the lights go out to save its energy. Then opens its foliage up again in the morning to absorb as much light as it can.
That’s how it got its name.
Prayer plants are small plants. They grow to about 6 to 12 inches high and prefer a little less sunlight than most houseplants. As such, give them partial or full shade.
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