15 Rare and Exotic Houseplants to Add to Your Indoor Jungle

Move over spider plants! I want to show you some houseplants that you may have never seen before. If you love plants as much as I do, then you may be constantly on the search and always perfecting your space and adding new houseplants as much as you can.

I know I get tired of the same boring houseplants and love seeing new rare and exotic houseplants like these here.

Many of these houseplants are easy to care for and perfect for beginners. But if you are just getting started with houseplants, start here. These plants are easy and gorgeous (and yes we did include spider plants on this list. What can I say other than I’m a hypocrite.) I’ve included info on how to care for each of these plants. Additionally they are ordered from easiest to most advanced.

If you are ready, let’s start planting this inspiration in our heads! Get it? Planting this inspiration…

1. Easy: Underwater Plants

You can commonly find a wide variety of underwater plants such as Java Moss, Java Ferns and so much more. They are available at every aquarium shop and pet care center and yet we never think of them outside of a habitat for fish! With some simple aquariuam rocks and a gorgeous glass bowl, you can make an easy and beginner friendly underwater terrarium.

2. Easy: Tillandsia

I’m always shocked when people aren’t familiar with air plants! Here are some important things to know. First of all, you will find a million different care instructions that are all different and can make things confusing.

To sum up how I care for mine, I place mine near a window – as long as the window gets plenty of shade. Then I dunk my air plants in water that has been sitting out for at least 1 day. I leave them in the water for around 5-20 minutes, pull them out, shake them thoroughly to remove the water and break the salts away from the roots and place them upside down to allow the water to fully drain away. Find the full care guide for Tillandsia here.

3. Easy: Pitcher Plants

Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants that are indigenous to marshlands throughout Texas, Florida and even into southern Canada. All carnivorous plants are easier to care for than what you might think including sundews and fly traps. The trick is to always water them from the bottom with distilled water. Additionally, pitcher plants need to always have at least a touch of moisture inside their pitchers. Pitcher plants are great at catching flies, wasps, and all sorts of bugs making this the perfect plant for any clean freak.

4. Medium: Rare Succulents like Lithops

This type of lithops is called living stones and the stone like quality is used as a camouflage against predators. These aren’t exactly rare, but they grow extremely slowly and even become dormant in the winter which makes them slightly harder to cultivate.

They are however extremely easy to care for because they are the type of plant that you can set it and forget it. Be sure to keep them warm, succulents hate being below 55°F and can’t handle freezing temperatures at all.

Medium: 5. Philodendron Melanochrysum/Philodendron spiritus-sancti

There are lots of interesting philodendrons, but my favorite may be the Philodendron Melanochrysum. Its common name is the black-gold philodendron and it has heart shaped leaves that people just fall in love with. To keep them at home you will need a moss pole or another object for it to climb (like a bamboo pole, etc). But beyond the set up they are very easy to care for – just a little out of the ordinary when compared to other houseplants. They like indirect light and love a nutrient rich and blended soil. So I like to add a touch of orchid bark, a touch of sphagnum moss to a good quality potting soil.

The one thing that can be challenging is that this plant does not like to dry out completely, but the moisture can make it prone to root rot. So you have to be careful to never overwater.

Medium: 6. Any Variegated Monstera or Monstera Obliqua Peruvian Form

Monsteras like philodendrons also like to climb, so this is another plant that could use a trellis or moss pole. It has a similar watering schedule to a philodendron, but prefers a bit more water. To prevent root rot you need to pay attention. Always allow the soil to begin to dry – the top of the soil should be dry when you water your monstera.

They love bright light, but not direct sun. Okay now I am starting to make them sound complicated. Just place them near a north facing window – which covers everything you can do to help it thrive.

Medium: 7. Aglaonema Pictum “Tricolor”

This plant has it’s own camouflage! Like most of the plants on this list, this plant prefers to stay warm, have dappled light and a decent amount of moisture.

Another thing this plant really loves is a lot of nourishment. In addition to using a soil mixture that contains some moss, this plant loves to be fertilized a lot in the spring. It grows slowly which is why this plant is rare. But it’s slow growth makes it a perfect houseplant.

Medium: 8. Alocasia “Jacklyn”

Aren’t these leaves so interesting? It’s unique stag’s head shape reminds me of a stag’s head fern that we often see in Kokedamas.

It may or may not be a mutation from a different Alocasia. It prefers south or east facing windows and a chunky nutritious soil like orchid bark. Beyond that it doesn’t require a lot of pruning, fertilizing or much of anything. I am only rating this as a medium difficulty because it’s a new plant that less people are familiar with.

Medium: 9. Begonia ‘Escargot’

The begonia escargot has spirals of silver and green that are totally unique. These are small plants that stay less than 1 foot tall. They are a rhizomatous perennial which means once you get this plant, you can continue to propagate more and more plants.

This plant loves a little bit of shade and also likes rich soil that is fertilized regularly. When you water it, don’t let the water sit on it’s leaves. Instead water the soil only.

Medium: 10. Calathea White Fusion

This is another plant that prefers morning sun, but can’t handle harsh afternoon sun. It also loves filtered water or water that’s been left out for a day before use, like air plants. One thing I haven’t mentioned is that monsteras, philodendrons, basically any of these plants that prefer to stay moist there is another concern – pests.

Small insects are much more common when the soil moisture is higher. To combat that, you may want to keep extra soil around. If you see pests, remove the soil, thoroughly wash the plant with running water and replace the soil. Some people like to use insecticidal soap regularly on these plants.

Medium: 11. Anthurium wendlingeri

Isn’t this a gorgeous and unusual looking plant? Some people swear that these are easy to care for, but once I give you some tips, you may disagree with that statement like I do!

This plant loves brighter morning light so east facing windows are best.

Difficult: 12. Peperomia Pink Lady

Technically this is another succulent, but you may never guess just from looking at it! Some peperomias have thick and bulbous leaves but other times they are fragile and wispy. These plants prefer to be snug in pots that are not too large for their root structure and also need well draining soil. Adding rocks, perlite, sand, or bonsai soil is a must.

These require careful waterings – never overwater. And these plants can use more light than most of the other plants on this list. They can even handle some afternoon sun. During the winter their growth slows, so much like the lithops, you can water them less – almost none at all.

Advanced: 13. Licuala Grandis Fan Palm Tree

What makes this palm unique are the shape of it’s leaves – they are rounded and very interesting. But this palm tree requires a lot of tlc to thrive. First of all, it scorches easily, so you need to be sure that the light is indirect. But it does prefer bright indirect light. Next, although all these plants prefer warm indoor climates, this plant doesn’t like to drop below 60°F, so even near a window in the winter can harm it.

This palm also prefers lukewarm water – be sure to use filtered water or allow the water to sit out a day before use. Like other plants that require a lot of water, be sure to watch for small pests!

Advanced: 14. Musa Ae Ae

This variegated banana plant is too pretty for words! And banana plants are truly tropical, but if you have an environment that can handle a tropical plant, you can grow them outdoors to cultivate variegated bananas!

Indoors is a great alternative because it will always be warm. The quirk is that these banana plants need a lot of light – they can handle full sun. So they need to be in a very sunny window and may do well with additional light, like a grow light. If you want to give them the spa experience, place a humidifier nearby and consider a way to keep them warm in the winter.

Feed them often year round with a highly diluted fertilizer.

Advanced: 15. Rare Succulents like Trachyandra revoluta

This is an African succulent that has gorgeous twirls and loops. It looks like grass and grows best in rocky, sandy soil. But it’s growth schedule is opposite of most other succulents including the lithops!

These plants go dormant in the summer and grow in the winter. In the summer, water them very little – just a touch every 2 weeks to month. Most of the leaves will fall away and it will return to just its roots. But in the winter, it will begin to grow more curled, grassy leaves.

Of all the plants you saw, which one is your favorite? Are you going to try any of them out? Tell us in the comments and let us know. Ready to do a deep dive into these amazing plants? Find our workbook and mini course on Rare and Exotic Houseplants here.

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