What are heirloom houseplants?

You can classify plants that are passed down from generation to generation as heirloom plants. Plant varieties must generally be passed down for decades — typically at least 100 years or so — to be considered heirloom plants.

What houseplant has the longest lifespan?

Wax Plant . Indoor wax plants can thrive for around 30 years with good care. Wax plant is a species of Hoya, and truly, all hoyas are long-lived and wonderful houseplants. This is an epiphytic plant, which means that in its natural environment, it grows on trees.

How long can indoor plants live?

On average, indoor house plants last 2-5 years .

What were the houseplants in the 1920s?

When there were houseplants, the more architecturally shaped cacti and succulents were the most common. In the 1920s, commercial houseplant production began in California, focused on the Kentia palm and the pothos , later expanding to include Philodendron and Araucaria species in the 1940s.

Which is the luckiest indoor plant?

Lucky Bamboo, Money Plant, Pachira Money Tree, Snake Plant, Swiss Cheese Plant, Peace Lily, Potted Orchids, Rubber Plant, Palm Plant and Jade Plant are some well-known lucky indoor plants.

Which plant has the longest lifespan?

Individual plant specimens Methuselah, a Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) in the White Mountains of California , has been measured by ring count to be 4,855 years old. It is therefore the oldest known living individual non-clonal tree in the world.

What is the oldest houseplant?

The oldest potted plant, an Eastern Cape Giant Cycad (Encephalartos altensteinii) , is ringing in its 246th year! In the 17th century, citrus trees were brought indoors in the winter, both to protect the plants from the cold and for the enjoyment of their winter blooms.

Why do Millennials love houseplants?

Health and wellness are important to the Millennial generation, which makes plants a natural draw. Plants are known to make healthier spaces for people to inhabit by helping to purify the air, boost one's mood, and lower stress levels .

What's the most common houseplant?

Aloe there! Overall the aloe plant is America's favorite house plant with a whopping 11 states searching for this plant the most. Slithering into second place is the snake plant with it's fantastic snake patterned leaves.

What are the disadvantages of heirloom seeds?

Most heirloom seeds are more vulnerable to diseases because commercial seeds are usually bred specifically for disease resistance. Heirloom seeds also have lower yields than hybrids, which can be a disadvantage for farmers and home growers with limited space.

Are heirloom plants genetically modified?

Heirlooms are seed varieties that are at least 50 years old, and you can save these seeds and plant them year after year. Heirlooms are never hybrids or GMOs . Hybrids are crosses of heirloom varieties. If you save hybrid seeds, you won't get what you expect.

What is the oldest indoor plant in the world?

The world's oldest potted plant is a prickly cycad (Encephalartos altensteinii) , which was brought from South Africa to the UK and planted in 1775.

What is the most valuable plant family?

The Poaceae Family As the most abundant plant family on Earth, the Poaceae are the most important food source for the world's human and animal populations.

Long-lived houseplants often become heirlooms (2024)

The average lifespan of houseplants is difficult to determine because their birth and death dates are seldom recorded in plant obituaries. Longevity in houseplants is held in high esteem; for example, in 2014 a lady in Pittsburgh left a sizeable inheritance to her philodendron, so the 42-year-old companion plant would be well cared for after she was gone.

How long can houseplants live? The oldest currently living houseplant of record is located in the conservatory at London's Kew Gardens. The 242-year-old Eastern Cape cycad has been growing in a pot since 1775.

Most botanists agree there are no predetermined lifespans of indoor plants. Their longevity doesn't depend upon whether they drink and smoke, but rather on care and growing conditions, including light, humidity, watering, soil, insects and diseases. Theoretically, in the absence of adversity, most houseplants can live forever. That is, until we kill them.

Some plants lend themselves better to indoor conditions than others, and their growing habits contribute to long lives. The following houseplants tend to be long-lived, making them valuable heirloom plants to be passed from generation to generation.

Christmas cactus: Becoming more elegant with age, these flowering plants are commonly passed along to children or grandchildren of the original owners.
Jade plant: Members of the succulent group, they continue to grow into miniature trees, becoming larger as decades pass.
Boston fern: The ease of dividing makes it easy to perpetuate ferns, even if they become crowded.
Sanseveria snake plant: The sturdy plant simply keeps adding new sprouts to the clump's perimeter, becoming wider and taller with age.
Rubber plant (Ficus elastica): The large-leaved tropical native has a tree-like nature, contributing to its long-lived tendency.
Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina): Another tree-like houseplant that will live for many decades under proper conditions.
English ivy: Because it's a tough outdoor vine in milder climates, it enjoys a long life indoors, if its susceptibility to spider mites or other pests is kept in check.
Philodendron: The large family of plants includes vining members plus large-leaved tropical forms.
Monstera: Nicknamed split-leaf philodendron or Swiss cheese plant with its huge rounded leaves, the plant becomes tropical-tree-like with age.
Bird-of-paradise: The bird-shaped orange and blue flowers don't appear until plants average 20 years old, so patience is definitely a virtue.
Aspidistra cast iron plant: This nearly indestructible plant gained its nickname during Victorian times when fumes from gas-fueled lights killed many indoor plants, but left this one untouched.
Hoya: The trailing plants gets better with age, rewarding patience with fragrant flowers.
Spider plant: This classic can be perpetuated by propagating 'spiders' or by rejuvenating an aging plant with a drastic cutback.
ZZ plant: Thankfully, its name was shortened from Zamioculcas zamifolia. Although it was only introduced into the houseplant industry in 1996, it has all the characteristics of long-lived species.
Cacti and succulents: The slow-and-steady growth of cacti species and succulents like aloe and haworthia encourages longevity.

Do you have an older-than-average houseplant? If so, I'd like to hear about it. Email me the details at ForumGrowingTogether@hotmail.com , and I'll compile the stories into a future article.

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Long-lived houseplants often become heirlooms (2024)

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