These 18 Tall Indoor Plants Will Turn Your Home into a Jungle (2024)

Fiddle-Leaf Fig

• Botanical Name: Ficus lyrata
• Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect light, and some direct sun
• Soil Type: Well-draining indoor potting mix
• Soil pH: 6.0 to 7.0

There’s a reason this trendy ficus is so sought after, even years after it first became all the rage. With their attractive, deep-green foliage and ability to grow eight to 10 feet tall, fiddle-leaf figs simply demand attention. These plants need lots of bright light and grow up rather than out, so choose a spot to display them near a sunny window in a high-ceilinged space.Avoid making sudden changes to its environment in terms of light or temperature, or else it may drop its leaves.

Rubber Plant

• Botanical Name: Ficus elastica
• Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect light
• Soil Type: Fast-draining, all-purpose potting mix
• Soil pH: 6.0

This easy-growing houseplant with long, glossy leaves has long been used to add elegance to indoor spaces. Rubber plants grow quickly—in just a few years, they can reach up to 10 feet in height—so plan accordingly as you choose a spot to display them. They’re less finicky than their fiddle leaf fig cousins and have the ability to adapt to brightly lit or lower-light spaces, although you’ll want to choose a brighter spot to get faster growth. Rubber plants need to be watered thoroughly, but be careful of overwatering to avoid yellowing and dropping leaves.

Bird of Paradise

• Botanical Name: Strelitzia reginae
• Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect light
• Soil Type: Well-draining potting mix
• Soil pH: 5.5 to 7.5

With the right amount of light and a little TLC, this stunning flowering tropical can grow as tall as five feet indoors, with long, blade-like leaves that can reach three or four feet in length. Bird of paradise plants need full sun to really thrive—at least five hours of it each day—so display them near a large, bright window. Choose a mature specimen, and with lots of light, regular fertilizer, and moist soil, it will reward you with its distinctive orange and blue flowers to brighten up your space.

Weeping Fig

• Botanical Name: Ficus benjamina
• Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect light, and some direct sun
• Soil Type: Rich, fast-draining potting mix
• Soil pH: 6.0 to 6.5

Another member of the ficus family, the weeping fig is a classic option for an indoor tree thanks to its full and attractive greenery, low-maintenance care needs, and tolerance for low-light environments. Specimens grown as houseplants can grow up to six feet tall or more indoors with a good source of bright, indirect light nearby. Leaves can range in color from dark green to pale yellow and cream. Be sure to keep your weeping fig's soil moist but not soggy, fertilize regularly, and prune back branches that are coming into contact with walls or ceilings.

Money Tree

• Botanical Name: Pachira aquatica
• Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect light
• Soil Type: Well-draining, sandy peat-moss soil
• Soil pH: 6.0 to 7.5

Want to add some green to your space and maybe even your wallet? Money trees—not to be confused with Chinese money plant, or Pilea peperomioides—are said to bring luck and financial fortune to their caretakers. Even without that supposed boost to your bank account, these jungle plants will add cheerful greenery to your space and can grow up to six feet tall indoors. You'll often see them with several stems braided together, which is done in the nursery before the stalks become hard and woody. Since money trees do well with good humidity and bright, indirect light, they’re ideal to display in a well-lit bathroom.

Umbrella Plant

• Botanical Name: Schefflera actinophylla
• Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect light
• Soil Type: Fast-draining commercial soil
• Soil pH: 6 to 6.5

Also known as schefflera, umbrella plant’s drooping leaflets, arranged in a circle around a central stem, look a lot like its namesake. While indoor specimens don’t typically flower, this plant can grow up to 10 feet tall indoors; if need be, you can prune back the tops of the tallest stems to encourage fuller, bushier growth. Umbrella plants need lots of bright light, and it’s a good idea to rotate yours occasionally to help it grow evenly.

Monstera

• Botanical Name: Monstera deliciosa
• Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect light
• Soil Type: Well-drained potting mix
• Soil pH: 5.5 to 7.0

Trendy, attractive monstera are the perfect accent piece for any open indoor space. These lush specimens can reach eight feet in height indoors; their deeply notched, heart-shaped leaves can grow as wide as two feet under the right conditions. They grow out as well as up, though, so make sure you're budgeting enough room around the plant for it to grow into. Monstera grow best in a space with lots of humidity, and although they can adapt to lower-light conditions, they need lots of bright, indirect light to grow to full size indoors.

Parlor Palm

• Botanical Name: Chamaedorea elegans
• Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect light
• Soil Type: Well-drained potting mix
• Soil pH: 5.1 to 7.5

These slow-growing dwarf palm trees will reach heights of up to four feet indoors, making them a great houseplant to add some drama in smaller or low-ceilinged rooms without outgrowing the space. With their ability to adapt to brighter or lower-light spots, you have lots of flexibility as you choose where to display your parlor palm. Make sure they have the jungle-like humidity they need to thrive by putting it in your bathroom or setting the pot on top of a tray of water with pebbles to elevate the bottom of the pot just above the waterline, which will moisten the air around your plant.

African Milk Tree

• Botanical Name: Euphorbia trigona
• Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect light
• Soil Type: Well-draining succulent soil
• Soil pH: 6.1 to 7.8

This succulent looks like a cactus, with thick stalks fringed with spikes and small leaves on three sides. Also known by its botanical name, Euphorbia trigonia, this plant gives off an attractive, desert-like vibe. Grown in a warm space with lots of bright, indirect light, African milk trees can grow up to eight feet tall indoors. Since they can become top-heavy, it’s a good idea to stake yours or cut back the tallest portions and propagate them into new plants.

Corn Plant

• Botanical Name: Dracaena fragrans
• Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect light
• Soil Type: Well-draining potting soil
• Soil pH: 6 to 6.5

Looking for a tall, elegant plant to create a sunny, California-style vibe in your high-ceilinged space? The dracaena, known as corn plant or dragon tree, can grow up to 12 feet tall. With their long, woody stalks that grow all the way up to a clump of stripy, ribbon-like leaves on top, these plants mimic the look of tall, stately Los Angeles palm trees on a smaller scale. Your corn plant will grow best (and fastest) with lots of bright, indirect light, but they can adapt to spaces with less light, too. Corn plants are also pretty low-maintenance—they can tolerate underwatering, but not overwatering—and offer the added benefit of helping to clean the air of toxic chemicals.

Ficus Audrey

• Botanical Name:Ficus benghalensis
• Sun Exposure:Direct or bright indirect light
• Soil Type:Potting soil mix
• Soil pH:6.5 to 7.0

It might look similar to a fiddle-leaf fig, but a Ficus Audrey is different. The profile is more sleek and streamlined with veined leaves. Note that although this an indoor plant, it can't tolerate low light. It does best with an abundance of natural light and moist soil.

Hibiscus Tree

• Botanical Name:Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
• Sun Exposure:Direct
• Soil Type:Potting soil mix
• Soil pH:6.5 to 6.8

No, this tropical tree isn't just for your yard—you can actually grow one indoors, too. Though you can keep it small with trimming, it can grow into a large, beautiful tree with time. Make sure to keep it in an area with plenty of sunlight and ensure the soil is moist but never wet.

Olive Tree

• Botanical Name:Olea europaea
• Sun Exposure:Direct
• Soil Type:Well-draining, loamy soil mix, like cactus or succulent soil
• Soil pH:6.5 to 7.5

If you're terrible at remembering to water your plants, an olive tree is for you. Though you have to give it a good watering when you first bring it home, once it's well-established, you can move waterings to once a month. Note that you can't grow any actual olives if the plant is indoors, so you'll probably want to choose a non-fruiting variety.

Meyer Lemon Tree

• Botanical Name:Citrus limon x Meyeri
• Sun Exposure:Direct
• Soil Type:Potting soil mix
• Soil pH:5.5 to 6.5

While Meyer lemon trees do grow well indoors, you'll have to pollinate it by hand if you want to grow lemons. Alternatively, you can move it outdoors during the warm months. If you don't care about the fruit, you can enjoy the beautiful blooms indoors.

Ponytail Palm

• Botanical Name:Beaucarnea recurvata
• Sun Exposure:Bright indirect light
• Soil Type:Sandy soil mix, like a cacti and succulent soil
• Soil pH:6.5 to 7.5

This plant isn't very fast-growing, but it can get very tall (up to 30 feet!), so have patience. It's native to Mexico and thrives on neglect, so it's perfect for those without a lot of time to tend to plants. It actually prefers dry soil, so you won't need to water much (especially in the winter).

Lemon Tree

• Botanical Name:Citrus limon
• Sun Exposure:Bright, direct light
• Soil Type:Lightweight, well-draining potting mix
• Soil pH:5.5 – 6.5

Though lemon trees typically prefer to be outdoors, you can make it work indoors if you care for it properly. Make sure to increase your air humidity (a humidifier can help with this), let your tree sit outside every once in a while, give it plenty of water, and ensure it has a minimum of eight hours of sunlight a day.

Avocado Tree

• Botanical name:Persea americana
• Sun exposure: Full sun
• Soil type: Rich, well-draining potting mix
• Soil pH: 5.0 - 7.0

It's possible to grow a scaled-down avocado tree in your home. Though you can purchase a mature size from a nursery, you can also propagate your own! Save your next avocado pit and use it to grow a new plant.

Kentia Palm

• Botanical name:Howea forsteriana
• Sun exposure: Low to bright, indirect light
• Soil type: Well-draining potting mix
• Soil pH: 6.0 - 7.5

This palm is perfect for those looking for something low maintenance. It grows in low light, so no worries if your apartment has lots of dark corners. It also prefers to be on the dry side, so you can let the soil dry out a bit to avoid overwatering.

1. Wei X, Lyu S, Yu Y, et al. Phylloremediation of Air Pollutants: Exploiting the Potential of Plant Leaves and Leaf-Associated Microbes.Front Plant Sci. 2017;8:1318. doi:10.3389/fpls.2017.01318