It’s that time of year again for ghosts and ghouls and things that go bump in the night, and the plant world is no stranger to the weird and wonderful, so look no further than these spooky houseplants that will add some creepy chills to your halloween.
Devil’s Ivy
Epipremnum aureum is more commonly known as golden pothos but also boasts the chilling title of Devil’s Ivy because it is pretty much indestructible and manages to remain green even if kept in the dark. As a houseplant, Devil’s Ivy boasts luscious yellow and green foliage that cascades from hanging pots, shelves or will climb up a moss pole.
It does have a rather eerie characteristic where its leaves will drip tear-like fluid. This is a process known as guttation where fluid is released from the xylem when pressure has built up. Guttation is a natural phenomena even though it does appear to be supernatural!
These plants will grow in any room but prefer humidity, bright indirect light, well-drained soil and water only when the top soil is dry to touch. Keep this evergreen vine away from pets as Devil’s Ivy is toxic and certainly don’t be tempted to ingest this plant yourself as it contains calcium oxalate which can cause swelling and vomiting.
Venus Fly Trap
What could be more spooky at halloween than a meat eating plant? Well, the carnivorous Venus flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, gets its food by digesting insects. This plant attracts prey with the lure of sweet nectar but the trap quickly closes once the bait has been taken and the poor struggling insect causes the interlocking jaws to firmly close, sealing its fate.
The trap on each leaf has two hinged lobes covered in hair-like growths called trichomes. Move over these trichomes and the trap will shut; this touch response is called thigmonasty. It takes a lot of the plant’s energy to shut and open again so the trichomes need to be touched a few times to trigger the reaction ensuring the plant does not waste energy unnecessarily with a false alarm, so resist sticking your finger into the trap to test its reactions!
This North American bog plant is endemic to North and South Carolina and grows in moist, acidic, low nutrient soil so it can be a challenge to keep these meat-eaters alive in our homes, but they certainly are fascinating and one of nature’s eerie wonders.
Snake Plant
Dracaena trifasciata, formerly Sansevieria trifasciata, is a slow-growing evergreen perennial plant native to South Africa that throws up tall sword-like leaves. In warm climates like the Canary Islands snake plants are used as hedging and you regularly see spiky foliage lining properties – it certainly conjures up the message keep out!
Snake plants are tough and make fabulous houseplants as they are so easy to look after, in fact they need very little intervention from us apart from the occasional water and feed.
All parts of the Dracaena contain a toxin called saponin which will cause swelling and numbness so do not ingest, but they are one of the best air purifying houseplants you can choose so it’s great to pop one on a bedside table.
Crown of Thorns
Euphorbia milii, Crown of Thorns has the spikiest stems you could possibly imagine and definitely earns its place in the spooky hall of halloween. This thorny succulent actually flowers almost all-year-round with pretty bracts ranging in colour from red to orange to white with a green flowering centre.
This ominous looking plant is poisonous to humans and animals containing a skin irritating toxin called phorbol ester so keep it out of reach from pets and children. Vampires and halloween ghouls may love the dark but this menacing plant demands loads of light and then you will be rewarded with lots of joyful blooms.
Crown of Thorns is prone to getting leggy so will periodically need a prune, just make sure you wear gloves and avoid the sap. It is slow growing and drought tolerant so let it fully dry out between waterings. Sit back and marvel at the wonder which is Euphorbia milii.
Spanish moss
Tillandsia usneoides, or Spanish moss is surprisingly not Spanish or a moss but actually a bromeliad native to Southern America, the Caribbean and South America. Fond of oak and bald cypress it grows in swampland or lowland regions and drips from mature trees like ectoplasm but it is in fact a rootless, soilless epiphyte which clings to trees for support.
Spanish moss does not harm its host but takes water and nutrients from the surrounding air via tiny scales on its leaves called trichomes. These trichomes give the plant its ghostly, silvery sheen.
It can be challenging to get conditions right at home as Spanish moss thrives in high humidity so regularly mist and once a week plunge it into a tub of rainwater. Indoors, Spanish moss can be hung from large houseplants like Monstera deliciosa but if your Spanish moss is looking depleted, hang it outside on a tree so it can absorb moisture from the air.
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