Pocket BotanistPlant guides · Plant lists
Low-light houseplants.
Low light does not mean no light, and no plant grows in the dark. These are the houseplants in our guides that get by on medium or low light, which in practice means a bright room but out of the sun, or a north-facing window. Each entry says the light it prefers, so you can match the plant to the spot rather than the other way round.
32 plants
B
- Busy Lizzie Impatiens
Partial shade to full shade
- Busy Lizzie Impatiens walleriana
Partial shade to full shade
C
- Calathea
Bright indirect light is best.
- Calathea 'Cobra' Calathea zebrina
Bright indirect light
- Cast iron plant Aspidistra elatior
Low to medium indirect light.
- Chinese Evergreen Aglaonema
Bright indirect light is best, though they tolerate lower light.
- Chinese Evergreen Aglaonema commutatum 'Siam Aurora'
Partial shade to indirect light
- Corn Plant Dracaena fragrans
Bright indirect light is best for vibrant leaf color.
D
- Delta maidenhair fern Adiantum raddianum
Bright indirect light
- Downy rattlesnake plantain Goodyera pubescens
Dappled shade
- Dragon tree Dracaena
Bright indirect to medium light.
E
- Ebony Spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
Partial shade to full shade
F
- Fittonia Fittonia albivenis
Bright indirect light
G
- Golden Pothos Epipremnum aureum
Bright indirect light is best, though it tolerates lower light.
- Ground Ivy Glechoma hederacea
Partial shade to full shade
H
- Heartleaf Philodendron Philodendron hederaceum var. hederaceum
Bright indirect light is best, but it tolerates lower light levels well.
K
- Kaffir Lily Clivia miniata
Bright indirect light
- Kentia palm Howea forsteriana
Bright indirect light is best, though it tolerates lower light conditions.
L
- Leatherleaf Fern Rumohra adiantiformis
Partial shade to full shade
- Lucky Bamboo Dracaena sanderiana
Bright indirect light is best.
M
- Maidenhair spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes
Partial shade to full shade
- Mother Fern Asplenium daucifolium
Bright indirect light
P
- Parlor palm Chamaedorea elegans
Bright indirect light to partial shade.
- Partridgeberry Mitchella repens
Partial shade to full shade
- Peace Lily Spathiphyllum wallisii
Partial shade to indirect light
- Peacock plant Goeppertia makoyana
Bright, indirect light is best for keeping those patterns bright.
- Pinstripe Calathea Calathea ornata
Bright indirect light
- Prayer plant Goeppertia 'Vittata'
Bright indirect light
- Prayer plant Maranta leuconeura
Bright indirect light
R
- Rattlesnake plant Calathea lancifolia
Bright indirect light
S
- Sansevieria Dracaena trifasciata
Low to bright indirect light.
Z
- ZZ Plant Zamioculcas zamiifolia
Low to bright indirect light
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These lists are built from AI-generated care guides checked against GBIF taxonomy. They are general information, not horticultural or veterinary advice. Read about how we build these guides.