Guide

What house plant is this? How to identify a houseplant

By the Plantshop.com Editorial Team · Updated 21 Oct 2026 · How we research · Report an error

Start with the leaves and how the plant grows: upright, trailing, tree-like or in a rosette. Match what you see to a group below, then open the care guides to compare photos and details.

Three things to check first

1. Leaf shape and texture: split, heart-shaped, sword-like, round, fleshy or feathery? Glossy, fuzzy or waxy?
2. Growth habit: does it trail or climb, stand upright from the soil, or grow on a woody stem like a small tree?
3. Pattern and color: stripes, spots, veins or variegation narrow it down quickly.

Our 54 care guides each link to the plant's entry in the NC State Extension Plant Toolbox, which has photos and identification details. If you have a cat or dog, check the plant in the Pet-Safe Plant Checker until you know what it is.

Leaves with splits or holes

Large, glossy leaves with deep splits from the edge or oval holes inside the leaf. Young monstera leaves start solid and split as the plant matures; the Swiss cheese vine has smaller leaves with holes and climbs or trails.

Compare: Monstera, Monstera Adansonii.

Heart-shaped leaves on trailing vines

Vines with heart-shaped leaves. Pothos leaves are thicker and often marbled; heartleaf philodendron leaves are thinner and softer; string of hearts has tiny, flat, marbled hearts on thread-thin stems.

Compare: Pothos, Heartleaf Philodendron, String of Hearts.

Other trailing plants

Hoya has thick, waxy leaves; English ivy has pointed, lobed leaves; Tradescantia zebrina has striped purple and silver leaves; string of pearls has round, bead-like leaves.

Compare: Hoya (Wax Plant), English Ivy, Tradescantia (Wandering Dude), String of Pearls.

Upright sword or strap-shaped leaves

Stiff leaves pointing upward. Snake plant leaves rise straight from the soil; dracaena and yucca carry leaves on a cane or trunk; ponytail palm has a swollen trunk base topped by long, thin, curling leaves.

Compare: Snake Plant, Dracaena, Yucca Cane, Ponytail Palm.

Thick, fleshy succulent leaves

Leaves or stems that store water and feel firm. Jade has rounded, coin-like leaves on woody stems; aloe has long, spiky-edged leaves with gel inside; echeveria forms flat rosettes; haworthia is a small rosette, often with white bands; Christmas cactus has flat, segmented stems.

Compare: Jade Plant, Aloe Vera, Echeveria, Haworthia, Kalanchoe, Christmas Cactus.

Very large paddle leaves

Long, paddle-shaped leaves on stalks. Bird of paradise leaves are large and banana-like; cast iron plant leaves are dark green and rise straight from the soil.

Compare: Bird of Paradise, Cast Iron Plant.

Glossy leaves on a woody stem or trunk

Tree-like plants. Fiddle-leaf fig has big, violin-shaped leaves; rubber plant has thick, glossy oval leaves; weeping fig has small pointed leaves on drooping branches; umbrella plant and money tree have leaflets radiating like a hand, and money trees are often sold with braided trunks; olive trees have narrow, silvery leaves.

Compare: Fiddle Leaf Fig, Rubber Plant, Weeping Fig, Umbrella Plant, Money Tree, Olive Tree.

Patterned or colorful leaves

Stripes, veins, spots or bold color. Prayer plants raise their leaves at night; nerve plant has a fine net of white or pink veins; polka dot plant is speckled pink or white; croton has thick leaves in red, orange and yellow.

Compare: Calathea, Prayer Plant, Nerve Plant, Polka Dot Plant, Chinese Evergreen, Dieffenbachia, Begonia, Croton.

Round or coin-shaped leaves

Chinese money plant has round, pancake-like leaves on long stems; Peperomia obtusifolia has thick, rounded, glossy leaves.

Compare: Chinese Money Plant, Peperomia.

Feathery fronds, palms and needles

Ferns have finely divided fronds (maidenhair fronds are delicate on dark, wiry stems); palms have long fronds of narrow leaflets; Norfolk Island pine has soft needles on tiered branches.

Compare: Boston Fern, Maidenhair Fern, Parlor Palm, Areca Palm, Kentia Palm, Majesty Palm, Norfolk Island Pine.

Unusual: no soil, traps or a central cup

Air plants grow without soil; staghorn fern has antler-like fronds and is often mounted on wood; Venus flytrap has hinged traps; bromeliads hold water in a central cup; bird's nest fern has wide, wavy fronds growing from a central rosette.

Compare: Air Plant, Staghorn Fern, Venus Flytrap, Bromeliad, Bird's Nest Fern.

Flowering houseplants

Peace lily has white, hooded flowers; moth orchids have flat flowers on arching spikes; African violets have fuzzy leaves; anthurium has glossy, heart-shaped red or pink spathes; gardenia has fragrant white flowers and glossy dark leaves.

Compare: Peace Lily, Moth Orchid, African Violet, Anthurium, Gardenia.

Still not sure?

Search the NC State Extension Plant Toolbox by features, or ask your local Cooperative Extension office. If you are choosing a plant rather than identifying one, try the Plant Finder or browse the Plant Library.