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Species library › Spathiphyllum › Spathiphyllum wallisii
Aroids Partly documented

Spathiphyllum wallisii

Peace lily

A small, clump-forming terrestrial aroid described in 1877 from plants Gustav Wallis collected in Colombia. It is native to Colombia and Venezuela. Like most South American Spathiphyllum it belongs to wet, shaded forest floors, usually in or beside streams, and its thin leaves depend on a constant water supply. Most peace lilies sold today are hybrids or selections, but all want the same things: shade, warmth, humid air and roots that never dry out.

At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light ShadeDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Species-specific field notes are scarce. The 2024 Spathiphyllum revision by Croat and colleagues describes the genus as among the aroids most dependent on abundant water, because of its thin leaves and terrestrial habit. It adds that most South American species grow in or next to streams, often on rocky substrates. S. wallisii is described from humid, shady rainforest in Colombia and Venezuela, consistent with that pattern: a clumping herb of wet forest floor and stream margins.

No reliable botanical elevation range was found. Wild GBIF records span 672–2491 m (median 1661 m, 12 records), but the upper part is suspect; see data disagreements. The genus as a whole is mainly a lowland to premontane group.

ColombiaVenezuela

🔒 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.