Top 5 Unusual Houseplants To Add To Your Collection

When people think of houseplants, what usually comes to mind are the typical and boring green plants that can be found at your local Home Depot or Walmart. However, one of the reasons why I love collecting houseplants is that there is such a wide variety of different houseplants to collect that are super unique! There are so many different kinds of plants with really cool textures and features that I think there's definitely a plant out there for everyone. Below are the top five unusual and unique houseplants that I find super interesting!

5. Lithops (Living Stones)

What makes it so interesting: Lithops have adapted to look like the stones in its natural environment which explains the wrinkled appearance of the plant and the name “Living Stone”. Also, when the new pair of leaves come out, it comes out from the little opening of the old leaves. It makes the plant look very weird and alien-like, which I think makes the plant super unique.

How easy is it to find: This plant is pretty easy to find as I’ve been seeing it pop up in many of the local plant nurseries in Ottawa, especially during the growing season (spring-summer). They are also available on many online plant stores if you don’t mind having your plant shipped to you.

Photo from: https://succulentsbox.com/blogs/blog/how-to-care-for-lithops

4. Sensitive Plant ( Mimosa Pudica)

What makes it so interesting: The sensitive plant looks like a regular plant, however, if you touch the leaves, the leaves will move and quickly curl inwards. You can see why it’s called the sensitive plant! Depending on which region you live in the world, this plant can actually be known as a weed, making it a super easy plant to keep alive in your home!

How easy it is to find: This plant is not super easy to find, but if you look hard enough you can definitely get your hands on it! I’ve only seen it a couple times in local plant nurseries.

Photo from: http://www.interior-plant.com/2019/02/sensitive-plants-mimosa-pudica.html

3. Lifesaver Cactus (Huernia Insigniflora)

What makes it so interesting: The lifesaver cactus may look like your regular cactus, but when it blooms you’ll find out how special this cactus really is! The blooms on this cactus looks like lifesaver rescue tubes (hence the name of the plant), and it so very interesting looking, I could stare at it all day!

How easy it is to find: I would say that this plant is pretty hard to find, at least where I live which is Ottawa. I have never seen this cactus being sold here or online near me. It’s also pretty difficult to differentiate between this cactus and other regular looking cactus if the scientific name is not printed on the label, which is usually the case in most plant nurseries.

Photo from: https://www.instagram.com/p/CC1BQZuFoCY/

2. Jewel Orchids

What makes it so interesting: This category of orchids are mainly known for their foliage (leaves) rather than their flowers like most orchids. The design on the jewel orchid leaves usually have this amazing lightning strike pattern, which makes them so fascinating to look at. The colours on many jewel orchids are also very vibrant!

How easy it is to find: Jewel orchids are not often found in local plant nurseries, but they are usually available to be ordered online and shipped to your house.

1. Stephania Erecta

What makes it so interesting: Stephania Erecta looks like it’s growing out of a potato! I just love the look of the delicate leaves and stem that comes out from the base of the plant.

How easy it is to find: This plant is definitely the hardest plant to find out of the five, and is pretty rare to come by. You will most likely have to order this plant online and have it shipped to you. Keep in mind that only the base (the potato) will be shipped, and you will have to root it yourself to get the leaves growing.

Photo from: https://www.instagram.com/p/CAN6h_pgYM9/

I hope this blog post inspires you to look beyond the boring green houseplants that you always see, to find an interesting plant that you love! When you find that one (or many) plant(s) that you just fall in love with, it really helps motivate you to make sure that the plant is thriving and taken care of.