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Species library › Chlorophytum › Chlorophytum capense
Other Partly documented

Chlorophytum capense

A clump-forming, grassy-leaved relative of the spider plant from the Eastern Cape of South Africa, with sprays of small white flowers. It is easy and forgiving: bright shade, steady moisture in the warm months and a cooler, drier winter suit it. It is naturalised in Mexico, Macaronesia and parts of Asia.

Chlorophytum capense
Photo: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Forest margins, thicket and shaded slopes in the coastal and near-coastal Eastern Cape, often in leaf litter under shrubs. Details are from the genus and region more than species-specific accounts.

Few records give an elevation; the sites lie roughly between 250 and 750 m.

Cape Provinces

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY 3.0 licence, unmodified.