An indoor plant (also referred as Houseplant or Interior Plant) is a plant that is grown inside a residence or office as opposed to outdoor plants that are grown outdoors.

Indoor plants are raised for two basic reasons:

• To purify the air
• To decorate the interior

Classification on the basis of habitat: Indoors is not the natural habitat for any plant. They just adapt with the similar living conditions. On the basis of habitat indoor plants can be divided into three types:

• Tropical & Subtropical Indoor Plants: Tropical Indoor plants are tolerant to severe climatic conditions. Examples include Aglaonema (Chinese Evergreen), Amaryllis, Asparagus densiflorus (Asparagus Fern), Begonia species, Ficus elastica (Rubber Plant),Mimosa pudica (Sensitive Plant), Nephrolepis exaltata cv. Bostoniensis (Boston Fern), Orchidaceae (The orchids), Peperomia species, Sansevieria trifasciata (Mother-in-law’s tongue), Spathiphyllum (Peace Lily).

• Succulents: Salient features of succulents are their adaptability to severe environmental conditions, very low maintenance requirements and high light requirement. Examples of succulents are Aloe vera, Epiphyllum (Orchid Cacti), Opuntia (Large genus that includes the Prickly Pear), Zygocactus (Christmas Cactus) and Crassula ovata (Jade Plant).

• Temperate Indoor Plants: Temperate indoor plants are those whose natural habitat is temperate zones of the world. So they grow well in mild temperature conditions and can’t bear extreme weather conditions. Examples include Hedera helix (English Ivy) and Saxifraga stolonifera (Strawberry Begonia).

Classification on the basis of mode of growth: Indoor plants range from herbs to trees. They may be foliage plants and also flower plants. Also they may be annual or perrineal.

• Trees: Many indoor plants may take form of a tree if trimmed properly. Angel-wing begonias, Geraniums, fuchsias, lantanas, miniature roses, royal poincianas, chrysanthemum, ornamental peppers, acacias, gardenias and coleus are examples of the indoor plants that can be raised in tree form. Bamboo tree, palm tree and ficus tree are some examples of indoor plants that can be trimmed and make grow in tree shape. They are used in homes in many countries around the world.
  

• Herbs: Herbs can prove to a source of delight if proper care is taken. They can make excellent décor and food ingredient while satisfying one’s senses for sight and smell. They can be grown in the kitchen window and can make an excellent view when placed in the window of one’s bedroom. Some examples of herbs grown indoors are Chives, Basil and Parsley.

• Flowering Indoor Plants: Flowering indoor plants are those highly considered and demanded for indoor plantation. Plants with small flowers are preferred over large flower plants. Flowering plants either grow once or they appear over a period of time again, former being the annual species and later the perrineals. Some of the favorites are geraniums, azaleas, begonias, hydrangeas, lilies, roses, gardenias, chrysanthemums, African violets, tulips, poinsettias, daffodils and hyacinths.

• Foliage Indoor Plants: Foliage plants are mostly from tropical habitat and subject to severe environmental conditions. Some of the popular foliage plants are philodendrons, ferns, Chinese evergreens, dracaena, coleus, bromeliads and cacti and other succulent plants.

Choosing the right Indoor Plant: There are hundreds and thousands of indoor plants that vary in their adaptability to a certain type of habitat. Certain features to be considered while making a choice for the best indoor plant for your house are:

• Light Adequacy: Indoor plants may be divided on the basis of their light requirement also. There are plants that require plenty of light whereas there are others that will grow in very low light and even full shade. Overall we can divide indoor plants into three categories on the basis of light requirement:

o Low Light Indoor Plants: Some of the low light requiring plants are Mother-in-law’s tongue, Calathea, Aspidistra, Parlour palm and Spathiphyllum.

o Medium Light Indoor Plants: Umbrella tree, Bird’s-nest fern, Monstera, Cordyline and Dracena are examples of plants that require a medium amount of light.

o High Light Indoor Plants: High light requirement plants include Maidenhair fern, Aloe, Kalanchoe, African violet and Cyclamen.

• Temperature: Temperature is also an issue while deciding for specific plant specie. Generally indoor plants are tolerant to moderate temperature.

• Moisture: There are plants that need to be in moist climate for better growth such as tropical plants whereas there are plants that can survive in deserted conditions like succulents.

• Maintenance Requirements: How much time you can spend caring for your indoor garden is an important consideration. There is a scarce number of plants that can resist low maintenance like spider plants, dracaena, Sanseveria, Philodendron, Pothos and Nephthytis.

• Health & Safety Issue: Indoor plants though beautiful can prove fatal in some cases as some species are deadly poisonous and intake of such plant leaves or flowers may lead to death e.g. philodendron and some species of ivy are poisonous.

There are certain plant types that are deadly for cats and there are others that are dangerous for well being of dogs. Bird of Paradise, Pencil Cactus, Peace Lilly, Geranium, Iris Ivy, Lily of the Valley (Lilies are usually hazardous to cats’ health) and Tulips are examples of plants that a cat lover should never think to plant in his home.

Alumroot, American rubber plant, Anthericum comosum, Antirrhinum multiflorum, Mexican firecracker, Mexican snowballs, Mexican rosettes, Minature maranta, Minature marble plant are fine examples of plants that are non-toxic in nature.

Some Easily Grown Indoor Plants: The easiest indoor plants that need not much care and attention are those that are tolerant to severe weather conditions. The house plants like Amoena, Peperomia, Chinese Evergreen, Philodendron, Dieffenbachia, Pothos (the most popular of the house plants), Dracaena, Rubber Plant, Nephthytis, Biofeedback Reeds and Sansevieria can withstand more hardships than most of the others from the standpoint of temperature, light variation and improper watering.