Tropical Plant Names and Pictures

Tropical Plants: What Really Defines the Category

You’ve definitely heard some tropical plants’ names. Those include monstera, orchids like Vanilla orchids, hibiscus, and other quite common species. However, the entire category includes thousands of plants, and all of them share similar features and habitats. 

Tropicals can be distinguished based on the climate conditions they evolved in. All of them grow in environments where average temperature never drops below 64°F (18°C). They can also be distinguished geographically, and not all of these species come from rainforests. 

Tropicals can also be found in cloud forests, coastal zones, savannas, and dry (seasonal forests). Rainfall depends a lot on the zone a lot. Rainforests have 9-12 wet months, while savannas have long dry seasons, so humidity fluctuates significantly. 

Diversity & Key Types of Tropical Plants Explained 

The full list of tropical plants includes over 100,000 species, but we can still divide them into a few main categories. 

These are large-leafed foliage species (e.g., Monstera dissecta, Philodendron gloriosum), flowering tropicals  (e.g., Polka dot begonia, Chinese hibiscus), palms  (e.g., Parlor palm, Butterfly palm), and climbing and vining species  (e.g., Swiss cheese vine, Wax plant). Also, there are ferns and mosses, carnivorous species, and some houseplants that don’t directly fit in the above categories, such as Money tree or Prayer plant. 

Many species in the group grow well indoors, outdoors, or in both open and closed spaces. However, outdoor ones require warm climate zones. In the US, these are 9-11. Many are compatible with seasonal container planting. Also, as noted before, many indoor plants are actually tropical — they evolved in shady environments, so they tolerate low light pretty well. 

Domesticating Tropicals — How to Do it Easily

Many species are already domesticated, but they do require special care. In particular, most need higher levels of humidity (50-70%), consistently warm temperatures of 65-85°F (18-29°C), typically bright yet indirect light, and moderate watering with good drainage. 

There are both low-maintenance and high-maintenance species within the group. On this page, you can see the list of tropical plants’ names and pictures, as well as their full profiles with environmental requirements and key care details.