Indoor Plants Recommended By NASA

1. English Ivy

Botanical Name: Hedera helix

English ivy is an evergreen perennial vine and is a super climber. It is useful for cleansing benzene and toluene. One research also indicated that English ivy could also reduce mold in the home.

2. Spider Plant

Botanical Name: Chlorophytum comosum

With spiderettes growing out from the mother plant, it makes it appear as baby spiders are dangling down from the pot! The Spider Plant is also useful in removing carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, xylene, and toluene.

3. Peace Lily

Botanical Name: Spathiphyllum

Peace lilies are amazing houseplants with big white bracts and glossy green leaves. They are easy to maintain and clean indoor air from xylene, benzene, formaldehyde, ammonia, and toluene.

4. Chinese Evergreen

Botanical Name: Aglaonema modestum

Even if you lack a green thumb, you will find growing Chinese evergreen super easy. Benzene and formaldehyde are toxic gases that it devours from the air.

5. Bamboo Palm

Botanical Name: Chamaedorea seifrizii

Among the many palm plants, the bamboo palm is most suited for low light conditions. It tops the list of Indoor Plants Recommended By NASA for filtering benzene and trichloroethylene. 

6. Weeping Fig

Botanical Name: Ficus benjamina

The Weeping fig is one of the most popular indoor trees, cleaning out the pollutants from the air like formaldehyde and trichloroethylene. The research showed that the plant was capable of cleaning 80% of the formaldehyde within 4 hours.

7. Barberton Daisy

Botanical Name: Gerbera jamesonii

Barberton or Gerbera daisies are famous for producing large, bright, and colorful flowers. They remove chemical vapors of benzene, exposure to which is linked with leukemia.

8. Red-Edged Dracaena

Botanical Name: Dracaena marginata

This easy-to-grow plant produces green sword-shaped leaves with red edges. Dracaena marginata is capable of removing pollutants like formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, and carbon dioxide.

9. Elephant Ear Philodendron

Botanical Name: Philodendron domesticum

With big, elephant ear-like leaves, this Philodendron plant makes quite a statement. It is a low-light houseplant, thriving well in the shade and ideal for removing formaldehyde and airborne allergens, according to the famous NASA clean air study.

10. Chrysanthemum

Botanical Name: Chrysanthemum indicum

Chrysanthemums can grow indoors if you’ve got a sunny windowsill. These fall-flowering garden plants are capable of eliminating toxins like formaldehyde, ammonia, xylene, toluene, benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene from your home.

11. Aloe Vera

Botanical Name: Aloe barbadensis mill

You must have heard about the many benefits of aloe vera! It is a popular medicinal succulent plant that not only beautifies your interior but also eliminates toxic compounds. In the research conducted by NASA, the plant successfully removed 1555 micrograms of Formaldehyde with a leaf area of 713 in a sealed experimental chamber.

12. Mother in Law’s Tongue

Botanical Name: Sansevieria trifasciata

Sansevieria is one of the best drought-resistant plants that thrive on neglect. According to the NASA Clean Air Study, it removes formaldehyde, benzene, xylene, toluene, and trichloroethylene from indoor air. Learn more about its benefits in detail here.

13. Warneckei

Botanical Name: Dracaena fragrans/deremensis

‘Warneckei’ is a hardy cultivar of Dracaena fragrans. Provide bright indirect sunlight and grow it as a houseplant to eliminate harmful chemical compounds such as benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene from the air. In the tests, Warneckei removed 39107 micrograms of Benzene with a leaf area of 7242.

‘Janet Craig‘ from the same genus has similar air-purifying properties as ‘Warneckei.’

14. Lacy Tree Philodendron

Botanical Name: Philodendron selloum

Lacy tree philodendron has big half-lobed leaves. More than that, it is very effective in removing air pollutants such as formaldehyde. The plant removed 8656 micrograms of Formaldehyde in a sealed chamber during a 24-hour exposure period in the NASA experiments.

15. Golden Pothos

Botanical name: Epipremnum aureum

Golden pothos is one of the most popular low-light houseplants that not only look beautiful and survive in adverse conditions but also help in cleaning the air from harmful compounds like formaldehyde, xylene, toluene, and benzene. Learn more about pothos benefits in this article.

16. Heartleaf Philodendron

Botanical Name: Philodendron oxycardium

Also known as the sweetheart plant, heartleaf philodendron does well in low light conditions. It works perfectly in filtering formaldehyde from the air. In the tests by NASA, the plant was kept in a commercial-type greenhouse and removed 8480 Formaldehyde micrograms during a 24-hour exposure period with a total plant leaf surface area of 1696.

17. Dwarf Banana

Botanical Name: Musa