Houseplant identifier: what houseplant is this?
Gifted plants and supermarket pots rarely come with a proper label. A photo of a healthy leaf and the overall plant is usually enough to tell a pothos from a philodendron or a peace lily from an anthurium.
Take or choose a photo
One leaf, flower or the whole plant, in focus. Stays private: it is sent only to identify it and is not stored.
Determinationawaiting specimen
- Name
- common and scientific
- Why
- the features in your photo that point to it
- Care
- light, water, soil, hardiness
- Safety
- toxicity to people, cats and dogs
- Look-alikes
- and how to tell them apart
What to photograph
- The whole plant in its pot
- One typical leaf, front and back
- Where leaf stalks join the stem
- Any flower or new leaf unfurling
Features that separate look-alikes
- New leaf emergence
- Philodendron leaves unfurl from a papery sheath; pothos leaves unroll from the previous leaf stalk.
- Leaf texture
- Thick and waxy (hoya, pothos) vs thin and papery (calathea).
- Sap
- Figs (fiddle leaf, rubber plant) bleed milky latex when a leaf is snapped.
- Flowers
- A white hood around a spike (spathe and spadix) marks the aroid family: peace lily, anthurium, monstera.
Questions gardeners ask
Is my houseplant safe for cats?
The identifier reports pet toxicity when the species is known. Our care guides list ASPCA status for each common plant.
Can it tell pothos from philodendron?
Usually, from a clear leaf photo. Include the point where a new leaf is emerging if you can.