63 Pet-safe houseplants
Sharing a home with a leaf-curious cat or a puppy that chews first and thinks later narrows your plant choices - but not as much as you might fear. Every plant here is one whose own care notes explicitly describe it as non-toxic or pet-safe, and we leave out anything with a warning, an irritant sap or a 'mildly toxic' footnote.
Non-toxic does not mean edible. Any plant can upset a stomach if a determined pet eats enough of it, and 'safe' lists differ between sources - if your animal is a dedicated plant-eater, place even these out of reach and check with your vet.
African Violet (Saintpaulia / Streptocarpus)
The African Violet is the small, cheerful classic that can flower almost continuously, all year…
Aphelandra squarrosa (Zebra Plant)
The Aphelandra squarrosa - the Zebra Plant - is one of the most striking foliage plants you can…
Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens)
The Areca Palm (also called the Butterfly Palm or Golden Cane Palm) is the soft, feathery…
Baby Rubber Plant Peperomia
The Baby Rubber Plant Peperomia (Peperomia obtusifolia) is a compact, semi-succulent foliage…
Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)
The Boston Fern is the lush, cascading classic of the fern world - a soft fountain of arching…
Bromeliad (Guzmania, Aechmea, Neoregelia & more)
Bromeliads are the bold, exotic, long-lasting flowering plants that bring a true tropical…
Bulbophyllum Orchid
Bulbophyllum is an orchid genus of 2,000+ species with hinged, wobbling, fly-pollinated blooms…
Burro's Tail (Sedum morganianum)
The Burro's Tail - Sedum morganianum, also known as the donkey's tail - is a trailing succulent…
Button Fern
The button fern has round, leathery, button-like leaflets on wiry arching stems and is tolerant…
Calathea / Prayer Plant (Calathea & Maranta)
Calatheas and their close relatives, the Marantas, are the showpieces of houseplant foliage.
Calathea Lancifolia
Calathea Lancifolia, better known as the rattlesnake plant, is a striking foliage species…
Calathea Makoyana
Calathea Makoyana, better known as the Peacock Plant or Cathedral Windows, is a showpiece…
Calathea Musaica
Calathea Musaica is a collector-favourite foliage plant grown entirely for its extraordinary…
Calathea Ornata
Calathea Ornata, often sold as the "pinstripe plant", is a striking tropical foliage plant…
Calathea White Star
Calathea White Star is one of the most striking of the prayer plants, prized for tall…
Calathea Zebrina
The Zebra Plant is one of the most striking members of the prayer-plant family, prized for…
Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra elatior)
The Cast Iron Plant earned its name honestly: it is famous as the toughest, most indestructible…
Cattleya Orchid
Cattleya, the classic corsage orchid, has ruffled, perfumed blooms and was the best-known…
Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera)
The Christmas Cactus is a beloved heirloom houseplant - the one that bursts into vivid, exotic…
Cretan Brake Fern
The Cretan brake fern is the easygoing table fern - upright, ribbon-like fronds (often with a…
Crocodile Fern
The crocodile fern earns its name with big, undivided, leathery fronds textured like reptile…
Darlingtonia (Cobra Lily)
The cobra lily rears from Oregon mountain seeps like a striking snake - hooded, forked-tongued…
Dendrobium Orchid
The Dendrobium is one of the largest and most diverse genera of orchids in the world, with well…
Echeveria
Echeveria is a rosette succulent with a plump, symmetrical, flower-like rosette.
Epidendrum (Reed-Stem Orchid)
Reed-stem epidendrums are cane-stemmed, sun-loving garden orchids topped with nonstop clusters…
Ghost Plant
The ghost plant is an easy, fast-growing rosette succulent in soft, ghostly shades of pale…
Goldfish Plant (Nematanthus / Columnea)
The Goldfish Plant earns its name the moment it flowers.
Gynura (Purple Passion Plant)
The Purple Passion Plant (Gynura aurantiaca) is one of those houseplants that people fall for…
Haworthia (Zebra Plant & Window Plants)
Haworthia is the small, tough, charming succulent that fits almost anywhere - a desk, a…
Heart Fern
The heart fern is a tiny surprise - small, glossy, heart-shaped leaves on dark wiry stems…
Holly Fern
The holly fern breaks every fern rule - glossy, stiff, holly-shaped leaflets on tough fronds…
Hoya (Wax Plant)
The Hoya, or Wax Plant, is a long-lived, easy-going trailing and climbing plant beloved for two…
Hoya Australis
Hoya australis is a glossy, round-leafed, sun-loving vine from Australia that grows with…
Hoya Kerrii (Sweetheart Hoya)
Hoya kerrii has thick, perfectly heart-shaped leaves, sold by the millions as single-leaf…
Hoya Lacunosa
Hoya lacunosa has modest dimpled little leaves and strongly scented flowers that smell of…
Kangaroo Paw Fern
The kangaroo paw fern has fronds shaped like a kangaroo's foot - broad, irregularly-lobed…
Kentia Palm (Howea forsteriana)
The Kentia Palm is the elegant, upright indoor palm of grand hotels, conservatories, and…
Lemon Button Fern
The lemon button fern is a petite, well-behaved cousin of the Boston fern - upright fronds of…
Lipstick Plant (Aeschynanthus radicans)
The Lipstick Plant - Aeschynanthus radicans - is a trailing tropical epiphyte grown for two…
Ludisia discolor (Jewel Orchid)
The Ludisia discolor - the Jewel Orchid - is an orchid grown for the one thing most orchids are…
Majesty Palm (Ravenea rivularis)
The Majesty Palm is one of the most widely sold indoor palms in the world - you have almost…
Masdevallia Orchid
Masdevallias are compact cloud-forest orchids whose leafy tufts carry triangular, tailed blooms…
Miltoniopsis (Pansy Orchid)
Miltoniopsis is the pansy orchid - big flat velvet blooms with painted 'faces' and one of the…
Nerve Plant (Fittonia)
The Nerve Plant is a small, vivid, dramatic little houseplant - its olive-green leaves are…
Oncidium Orchid (Dancing Lady Orchid)
The Oncidium, affectionately known as the "Dancing Lady" orchid, is one of the most joyful…
Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea elegans)
The Parlor Palm is the easy, elegant, pet-safe palm that has been gracing indoor rooms since…
Peperomia
Peperomia is not one plant but a huge, wonderfully varied family of compact, easy, pet-safe…
Peperomia Frost
Peperomia Frost is a compact, semi-succulent foliage plant prized for its shimmering…
Peperomia Ginny
Peperomia Ginny is a compact, semi-succulent foliage plant prized for its rounded leaves edged…
Phalaenopsis Orchid (Moth Orchid)
The Phalaenopsis, or Moth Orchid, is the orchid for everyone.
Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya)
The Polka Dot Plant is pure cheerful color - a small, bushy houseplant whose green leaves are…
Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata)
The Ponytail Palm is one of the most charming and characterful houseplants there is - a…
Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura)
The Prayer Plant - Maranta leuconeura - is one of the most captivating houseplants you can own…
Rabbit's Foot Fern (Davallia fejeensis)
The Rabbit's Foot Fern - Davallia fejeensis - is a delicate, lacy fern grown for two things…
Rhipsalis (Mistletoe Cactus)
Rhipsalis - the "Mistletoe Cactus" - is a cactus that breaks all the rules you think you know…
Ripple Peperomia
Ripple Peperomia is a compact, semi-succulent houseplant prized for its deeply corrugated…
Silver Lace Fern
The silver lace fern is a delicate table fern painted down the middle - each narrow leaflet…
Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
The Spider Plant is the cheerful, generous, almost foolproof classic of the houseplant world.
Staghorn Fern (Platycerium)
The Staghorn Fern is one of the most dramatic and unusual plants you can grow indoors - a fern…
String of Turtles (Peperomia prostrata)
The String of Turtles - Peperomia prostrata - is a delicate, slow-growing trailing plant grown…
Swedish Ivy (Plectranthus verticillatus)
Swedish Ivy - Plectranthus verticillatus - is one of the easiest and fastest trailing…
Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)
The Venus Flytrap is a carnivorous plant that catches and digests insects in hinged leaf traps.
Watermelon Peperomia (Peperomia argyreia)
The Watermelon Peperomia (Peperomia argyreia) is a small, compact South American houseplant…
Prefer to filter yourself? Try the Plant Finder to narrow all houseplants by light and watering.
Choosing a plant for a home with pets? Our table of plants toxic to cats and dogs shows what every profile says - and the reference behind it is the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list.
Houseplant basics
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