© Tony Rebelo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
Chlorophytum comosum
Grünlilie · (Chlorophytum comosum)
Asparagus family (Asparagaceae)
Description
With its grassy, striped leaves and the characteristic dangling offshoots that resemble spider legs, the spider plant is one of the world's most popular houseplants — easy to care for and forgiving even for beginners. It gained fame through the 1989 NASA Clean Air Study, which identified it as an effective absorber of formaldehyde and xylene from indoor air, though a noticeable effect in an average room would require a great many plants. Among the Nguni peoples of South Africa, the fleshy tuberous roots are considered edible and reputedly mildly laxative; fresh leaves were traditionally applied there as a compress for burns and bone fractures. The spider plant is regarded as non-toxic to humans and most pets. Cats sometimes react to its mildly hallucinogenic compounds with noticeable euphoria, though this is not true poisoning; very large ingested amounts may cause mild stomach upset at most.
Spider plant was identified in the 1989 NASA Clean Air Study as an effective absorber of formaldehyde and xylene from indoor air. However, a large number of plants are needed to achieve a noticeable effect in an average room.
Sources: [1]
The fleshy tuberous roots of the spider plant are considered edible by the Nguni peoples of South Africa and are reported to have mild laxative effects.
Sources: [2]
In South African folk medicine, leaves of the spider plant are applied externally as a compress for burns and bone fractures.
Sources: [2]
Spider plant is one of the world's most popular houseplants, grown decoratively for its ease of care and hanging stolons ("spiderettes").
Considered non-toxic to humans and pets. The plant contains mildly hallucinogenic compounds that can cause euphoria in cats; actual toxicity is not present. Mild stomach upset is possible in animals if very large quantities are ingested. ASPCA classification (accessed 2026-08-10): non-toxic to dogs and cats.
Insufficient data on safety during pregnancy. Avoid medicinal use as a precaution.
No safety data available during lactation.
Safe as a houseplant around children. Tuberous roots may have a mild laxative effect in small children.
Contraindications
- No known contraindications for decorative use as a houseplant.
Harvested part: whole plant (decorative)
- Time of day:
- Usable year-round as a houseplant — no seasonal harvest timing for the air-purifying function.
- Drying:
- Not used dried — exclusively as a living plant.
- Time of day:
- Tuberous roots traditionally harvested in autumn when the plant is at its strongest.
- Drying:
- Fresh or dried for folk medicinal applications.
- SaponinsSaponinRoot
Steroidal saponins in the tuberous roots — responsible for mild laxative effects when larger quantities are consumed.
- Chlorophytum comosum saponin 1SaponinWhole plant
Species-specific saponin from Chlorophytum comosum, chemically well-characterised (CRC Handbook of Flowering).
- Chlorophytum comosum saponin 2SaponinWhole plant
Second species-specific saponin from Chlorophytum comosum.
- FlavonoidsFlavonoidLeaf
Flavonoids in the leaves, with mild antioxidant activity.
- Neutral lipidsOtherWhole plant
Neutral lipids have been chemically investigated and documented in Chlorophytum comosum.
- Formaldehyde (absorbed)OtherWhole plant
Formaldehyde is absorbed from indoor air — not an intrinsic plant constituent but a degraded air pollutant.
- [1]MonographInterior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement (NASA TM-101766)(accessed: 2026-05-24)
- [4]MonographASPCA Animal Poison Control — Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum): Non-Toxic to Dogs, Non-Toxic to Cats(accessed: 2026-08-10)
- [5]MonographASPCA Animal Poison Control — Anthericum Comosum (Chlorophytum comosum)(accessed: 2026-08-10)
- [2]WikipediaChlorophytum comosum (Wikipedia EN)(accessed: 2026-05-24)
- [3]WikipediaGrünlilie (Wikipedia DE)(accessed: 2026-05-24)
Distribution in Europe
🪴 Grow at home
- ☀ Light
- bright, indirect
- 💧 Water
- weekly
- 🌱 Soil
- Standard potting compost
- 🪴 Pot
- 20 cm
- ⭐ Difficulty
- ★☆☆ beginner
- 🐾 Pets
- non-toxic — verified against the ASPCA list
Tips:
- The only classic air-purifier safe around cats.
- Cut off plantlets and root them in water.
- Brown leaf tips = too much fluoride in water — use rainwater or stale tap water.
Care tips are general indoor-gardening recommendations, not scientific sources.