10 Best Indoor Flowering Plants (with common names & benefits)

Living in apartments with no greenery can have a negative impact on our state of mind.

Indoor plants are known to bring many psychological, scientific, social, and ecological benefits with them.

Studies have shown that when humans are in contact with plants, they feel less stressful and are more productive. Additionally, plants bring with them many health benefits as they absorb and diffract background noises, reduce the indoor pollutants, and keep the air temperature down.

If you are living in apartments where plants are less and concrete is everywhere, you can get all the benefits right in your homes by keeping indoor flowering plants!

Studies from Harvard & Rutgers have found that seeing the blooms in our homes increases happiness, instills enthusiasm & energy, and chases away depression/anxiety.

“Common sense tells us that flowers make us happy. Now, science shows that not only do flowers make us happier than we know, they have strong positive effects on our emotional well being. They bring about positive emotional feelings in those who enter a room, they make the space more welcoming and create a sharing atmosphere.” – Professor Haviland-Jones from Rutgers University

Some studies, such as one from The State University of New Jersey, demonstrated that flowers refresh memory as we age.

If you have senior citizens in your house, flowers can act as natural support systems that help seniors cope with the challenges of aging.

Apart from our homes, flowers also enhance workplace productivity by improving problem-solving skills and increasing creativity.

For all these benefits, flowers are now being called vitamin F!

If you are looking for indoor flowering plants, here are the 10 best indoor flowering plants.

Table of Contents

Peace lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii) Plant

Peace Lily is a very popular indoor plant.

They look beautiful with their hooded flowers – which is also the reason they are known as the cobra plant (as the flower looks like the hood of a cobra)

These indoor plants require little to no sunlight.

They grow well in shades and requires very little watering.

The NASA Clean Air Study also found that they clean the indoor air of certain environmental contaminants, including benzene and formaldehyde.

Anthurium Plant

Anthurium is an exotic looking indoor plant which flowers all year round.

They are also known as the flamingo flower or tail flower.

Anthurium is found to grow well in temperatures of about 25-28 degrees Celsius.

The plant needs indirect sunlight and moderate but regular watering.

Anthurium as a pot plant has an air-purifying effect. They help combat formaldehyde, ammonia, and volatile organic gases.

If you keep several anthuriums in a room, it can reduce the harmful gases (VOCs) in buildings by more than 50% in 24 hours.

Lavender Plant

A flowering herb, an insect repellent, and a beautiful aroma – this indoor flowering plant gives you all.

Lavenders are best kept in a place with lots of sunlight – like near windows facing the sun.

It does require a lot of watering in summers but one needs to be careful to not waterlog the lavender plant.

Lavender petals are dried and sealed in pouches for good scent, and sometimes put inside clothes to prevent moths. They can also be used in cake decorating, flavoring baked goods and chocolate desserts, and or make very delicious “lavender sugar”.

These flowers are also used in making a tea that helps you relax before bedtime. They also have proven to be helpful when applied to an insect bite.

Jasmine Plant

Jasmine is another popular indoor flowering plant and can make your home look beautiful.

It is an aromatic fragrant flower which grows pretty white and pink petals. They need high humidity, filtered sunlight and minimal water, therefore planting them in the washroom is an ideal choice.

They can grow as tall as 6 ft. and the soil should be well-moist.

When blooming, they look beautiful and give a soothing aroma.

These flowers are used as hair ornaments and also in rituals like marriages, religious ceremonies and festivals.

Geranium Pelargonium Plant

Potted geraniums (Pelargonium species) are beautiful indoor plants.

Their lobed shaped fluffy flowers are mainly cultivated for sweet scents. They grow in flushes throughout the year and need medium sunlight. Water levels should be good enough to make them sustain, but not too much.

Geranium is widely employed as a flavoring agent in many major food categories, alcoholic and soft drinks.

Traditionally Geranium is used to staunch bleeding, healing of wounds, ulcers and skin disorders and also in the treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, and colic. The oil has antibacterial and insecticidal properties and is profusely used in Aromatherapy.

Rhododendron simsii Plant

They require high humidity to grow.

The colors of flowers are white, magenta or any pink shade and sometimes they are attractively bicolored.

Keep these plants in a cool place, preferably ~20°C . The flowers last longer if they are kept cool.

Apart from making your home look beautiful, it also helps protect against formaldehyde released from plywood and foam insulation.

African Violet (saintpaulia) Plant

These are pretty violet flowers and also available as pink and white flowers.

They can grow quite easily in hot and humid climatic conditions and are well adapted to the indoor culture. They need indirect filtered sunlight and moist soil.

The plants are small and easy to care for. They grow very well in artificial light so they are perfect for those who do not have access to direct sunlight.

African violet (Saintpaulia) is one of those rare indoor plants that will flower continuously all year long and add color and cheer to your homes.

Their purple color is a health benefit in itself. Gazing at the plant can help stimulate adrenaline release and can increase the flow of oxygen to the brain which can help you to relax.

Hibiscus Plant

The hibiscus is commonly known in Asia as the shoe flower because it is used to polish shoes. The other names are sorrel, rose mallow, and China rose.

Because of their ability to remain evergreen for most of the year, the Hibiscus plants thrive in warm, tropical climates where there is plenty of sunshine and high levels of humidity created by tropical rains.

They need a few hours of daily sunlight exposure.

Flowers of the hibiscus plant are large and attractive and ideal as an indoor houseplant.

According to Ayurveda, hibiscus tea brings relief from high blood pressure and cholesterol. It also assists in the digestive system, immune system, and inflammatory problems. It helps cure liver disease, reduces the risk of cancer, speeds up the metabolism and helps in healthy, gradual weight loss.

Phalaenopsis Orchid Plant

Phalaenopsis are among the most popular orchids. They are easy to grow as houseplants.

This plant can flower often, sometimes with a few flowers throughout the year. In Kerala, the season begins with the monsoon and lasts till December.

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They need indirect sunlight and high humidity. They can adjust themselves to the average home environment that we live in. They thrive when they get more than 50% humidity.

Orchids help to create medicines that help in relaxation and to get a restful night’s sleep. Dried orchids are thought to help build up the immune system which makes the body resistant to infection. They could also help improve libido and fight fatigue.

Sometimes, they are used as alternative treatments for cancer. They are also thought to benefit the vision.

They can also be consumed in the form of teas. Certain orchid species are used for making an herbal tea that helps treat insomnia and improve blood pressure levels naturally.

Some proponents of natural medicine claim that orchid roots possess natural antibiotic or antimicrobial properties.

Ixora Plant

Ixora is an indoor flowering plant that is easy to grow if placed in a warm, sunny location near a window or glass doors. They can grow at any time during the entire year.

They need partial shade and only a few hours of direct sunlight.

According to herbal medicine, Ixora flower has several substances that can cure some disease like tuberculosis, hypertension, helps heal the wounds, helps in body pain.

It can also be used as a hemorrhoid medicine for dysentery etc.

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