21 Plants With White and Green Leaves for stunning effects!

Certain colors, black and white, can flawlessly fit any environment. For indoor gardens, the options for variegated foliage are simply superb.

Plant variegation is a display of different colors in plant parts. Several plants have natural variegation, but botanists and breeders are increasingly creating hybrids that offer intriguing variations. Hybrid variegated plants can only be propagated asexually, generally by stem cuttings.

Below is a list of 21 variegated houseplants, including natural and hybrid varieties. Also listed are the critical health requirements for each variegated plant: light and water requirements. Water availability is closely linked to soil quality, and unless specified, you can safely assume that the plant requires well-draining soil high in organic content.

Variegated Plants

Common Name
Botanical Name
Urn PlantAechmea chantinii
Zebra PlantAphelandra squarrosa
White Fusion CalatheaCalathea  ‘Fusion White
Spider PlantChlorophytum comosum ‘Vittatum’
Florida BeautyDracaena surculosa
Pearl And Jade PlantEpipremnum aureum
PothosEpipremnum aureum ‘N’JOY
Tineke Rubber PlantFicus elastica ‘Tineke’
Nerve PlantFittonia albivenis ‘Angel Snow’
Rattlesnake PlantGoeppertia insignis
Zebra CactusHaworthiopsis attenuata
Polka Dot PlantHypoestes phyllostachya
Prayer PlantMaranta leuconeura
Split LeafMonstera deliciosa ‘Albo variegata’
Watermelon PeperomiaPeperomia argyreia
Philodendron BirkinPhilodendron ‘Birkin’
Friendship PlantPilea involucrata ‘Moon Valley’
Snake PlantSansevieria trifasciata
Silver Satin PothosScindapsus pictus
Peace LilySpathiphyllum wallisii ‘Domino
Syngonium AlboSyngonium podophyllum ‘Albo Variegata’

Plant Collection

1. Urn Plant

Aechmea chantinii

Light Needs:Bright indirect light
Special Notes:Little water at the plants’ base keeps the central vase full of fluoride-free water.

Aechmea chantinii is one of the favorites of the Aechmea family, consisting of more than 250 plants. Its variegated foliage stands out, specifically the A. chantinii (white on green), A. fasciata (silver on green), and  A. orlandiana (red and orange bracts).

This plant can grow up to two feet tall and as wide. The flowers last long and are a rich copper color. Most Aechmea is tree dwellers (epiphytes) and requires little water at the base, but the central vase should be kept full of fresh unfluoridated water and replaced periodically.

As indoor plants, the vase plant needs medium relative humidity, ample light, and dry soil. The plant dies after blooming (which lasts a couple of months), but offsets soon appear at the base, allowing you to start new plants.

Flowering can be triggered by ethylene gas, the gas released by fruit to stimulate ripening. You can trigger the plant to flower by placing a ripe banana near the plant and cover with a plastic bag for a few weeks. Avoid direct sunlight during this time to prevent the bag from becoming a little oven.

2. Zebra Plant

Aphelandra squarrosa

Light Needs:Avoid bright light – gentle sunlight is preferable.
Special Notes:Use stem cuttings to propagate regularly, as the life expectancy of this variegated plant is limited.

The Aphelandra squarrosa comes in various shades of green and yellow hues, but the white stripes on a dark green leaf are most common – hence the name. The plant prefers high humidity, temperatures above 65 °F (18 °C), and bright and indirect light.

Use the severed apical cutting (tip) to propagate a new plant and repot the parent plant to boost root health and growth. Cut water levels during its annual dormancy in winter; once the plant exits dormancy, up water and diluted fertilizer applications.

I generally advise gardeners to water less frequently but more thoroughly. Typically, a drench is better for your houseplants and rinses accumulated salts. Well, this plant prefers regular watering in smaller doses – go figure.

3. White Fusion Calathea

Calathea picturata’ Fusion White.’

Light Needs:Bright but indirect light
Special Notes:Keep temperatures above 61 °F (16 °C)

I adore the Calathea family, with all its diversity and cousins dressed in camouflage and pin-striped suits. The white fusion is more a pin-stripe style, and the Lancifolia in the camo has been moved to the Goeppertia family. Any of the Calathea is a houseplant collection must-have.

The upper side of the leaves is dark green, the underside is purple, and the veins and midrib are silver. The leaves of this “prayer plant” variety may open and close in reaction to the presence or absence of sunlight.

The leaves of the Calathea picturata are distinctive due to the bright central hue encircled by a belt of green. Care for this plant may go beyond what is often required with houseplants.

Calathea is endemic to Brazil, thriving in wet, shaded environments. Spritz the leaves several times weekly to keep them moist if cultivated inside. Indoors or out, it thrives in well-drained potting soil amended with coconut coir and given occasional, diluted doses of fertilizer.

4. Spider Plant

Chlorophytum comosum’ Vittatum.’

Light Needs:Bright, indirect light
Special Notes:One of the easiest plants to propagate and ideal for a hanging basket

The leaves of this cultivar are green with white borders. Its stems can grow up to 2 feet long, and it blooms tiny white flowers in the shape of stars in the autumn.

As the plantlets on the hanging stems develop, they will send out aerial roots, allowing you to transplant them into the soil and start new plants. As the plant grows, its fleshy tuberous roots will eventually outgrow the container, requiring repotting.

5. Florida Beauty

Dracaena surculosa

Light Needs:Bright indirect light
Special Notes:If your light source is too weak, consider supplementing with white LED lights. They’re economical to run and last longer than fluorescent tubes.

The Philodendron “Florida” is a dark green hybrid for over 70 years. The variegated Florida Beauty and Florida Ghost are its children. As far as variegated houseplants go, this is the mother of several indoor plants. 

The dark green Philodendron “Florida” is a hybrid cross of Philodendron pedatum and P. squamiferum grown in Orlando, Florida. The variegated form, Florida Beauty, needs bright indirect light, some humidity, and moderate temperatures to grow well.

Your first encounter with this rare plant, personally or in photos, will help you understand the namer’s inspiration. It is beautiful, with leaves of different shapes and colors and green and cream splotches covering large parts of the leaf.

6. Pearl And Jade Plant

Epipremnum aureum

Light Needs:Low light but medium-light boosts variegation
Special Notes:It’s a vine, so provide some structured support

Also known as the marble Queen Pothos, this variegated Epipremnum aureum offers spectacular asymmetrical, marble-like patterns on smaller leaves. A favorite houseplant, the pothos is a low-light, dry-root-loving plant. The marble queen is variegated and needs some additional light.

Compared to plants with plain green leaves, variegated leaves have less chlorophyll, meaning they need more light to produce the same amount of glucose via photosynthesis. Still, the plant’s natural affinity for low light persists, and the Marble Queen should not be exposed to direct sunlight.

The Marble Queen originates from humid tropical forests, where they grow either terrestrial or as epiphytes under a canopy of plants.

7. Pothos N’JOY 

Epipremnum aureum, aka E. pinnatum N’JOY

Light Needs:Low light but medium-light boosts variegation
Special Notes:It needs moist soil that drains well. Avoid wet feet.

As a sub-hybrid, every N’Joy Pothos plant has been asexually propagated – a direct cutting from that original mutated plant. It’s an intriguing thought – continuous reproduction by division.

The N’Joy Pothos parent stock, the Epipremnum aureum, originates from humid tropical rainforests, where they grow as terrestrial or epiphytes under a canopy of plants. Replicating that environment will help your indoor plants flourish.

8. Tineke Rubber Plant

Ficus elastica ‘Tineke’

Light Needs:Bright indirect light
Special Notes:The trunk may need support as it grows taller

The variegated leaves of this popular ornamental house plant are broad and shiny and appear as though it was a white leaf with green variegation. The plant offers green and white leaves that are quite distinctive from other plants.

Loss of leaves can be caused by overwatering; temperature decreases, or drafts. Some of the lowest leaves often turn yellow and fall off naturally. Pests include mealybugs, scales, and spider mites.

9. Nerve Plant

Fittonia albivenis ‘Angel Snow’

Light Needs:Bright to medium light
Special Notes:Unlike similar plants (Saintpaulia or Episcia) the leaves are non-pubescent (do not have fine epidermal hairs)

The nerve plant reminds one of an aerial view of a marsh with small green islands connected with white waterways and a network of nerves running through a landscape. Depending on the light angle, the colorful leaves offer a faint pink tinge and would be an asset in any indoor garden.

The green leaves have stunning red, pink, or white veining. Avoid cold drafts and dry air as both will cause leaf drop. Use potting soil and pots that drain well. It loses turgidity if the soil is dry but soon recovers with watering, so watch the plant and water twice weekly.

10. Rattlesnake

Goeppertia insignia

Light Needs:Medium indirect light
Special Notes:Flowers rarely appear on indoor plants

If you recall, I mentioned the Calathea lancipolia earlier – the cousin dressed in camouflage. Well, this is it.

This evergreen perennial, a native of the Brazilian rainforest, has distinctive foliage and bright yellow blooms. It cannot tolerate freezing temperatures, so ensure the room is always above 65 °F (18 °C).

The leaves are particularly captivating in the colder months, which feature undulating borders, purple undersides, and an alternating pattern of small and large green ellipses.

11. Zebra Cactus

Haworthiopsis attenuate

Light Needs:Manages direct sunlight well
Special Notes:Guard against excessive watering and root rot

I had to include a succulent in our green and white plant selection. This variegated indoor plant is a very well-liked houseplant and offers a compact form and a rosette of stiff, dark green leaves spotted with beautiful white dots. This is a perfect plant if you avoid soggy soil and win the low-maintenance houseplant trophy. Other plants with striped leaves that are also easy to care for are the snake plant and 

12. Polka Dot Plant

Hypoestes phyllostachya

Light Needs:Bright indirect light
Special Notes:Avoid soggy soil

Not only is the pink polka dot plant beautiful, but it is also drought tolerant. This extraordinary pink houseplant, with its distinctive pink and green leaves, presents in different shapes and forms. The Splash Select™ polka dot plants resemble green houseplants with a pink splash. Other varieties of the polka dot plant look like the mosaic plant (Fittonia albivenis’ Pink Angel’).

13. Prayer Plant

Maranta leuconeura “Lemon Lime

Light Needs:Bright indirect light
Special Notes:Also known as the herringbone plant

This plant is any plant enthusiast’s dream, offering intricate patterns that look like candelabra sticks around a knotted midrib. The ovate, variegated leaves of the Prayer Plant have complete borders and fold at night, looking like folded hands in prayer. Gray-green to purple-green coloring can be found on the undersides of the leaves. A new leaf unfurls like a lemon-lime tube.

The bright and indirect light is ideal, as direct sunlight will fade the leaves’ appealing hues. Do not let the potting soil dry out completely during the winter months, but keep it evenly moist throughout the growing season. This plant prefers high humidity and will thrive in a humidified atmosphere or a planter on a tray of wet pebbles.

14. Split Leaf

Monstera deliciosa ‘Albo variegata’

Light Needs:Indirect sunlight
Special Notes:Staking the plant boosts white variegated foliage and the split leaf appearance.

Because of the apertures in its leaves, some have called it a Swiss-cheese plant, or hurricane plant, suggesting that the holes and slits permit the wind to pass through without damaging the foliage. Generally, in Mexico and other Latin American countries, it is known as pinanona or pina anona, but in Venezuela, it is called ojul or huracan; in Colombia, hojadillo; and in Guatemala, harpon or arpon comun.

Monstera plants are evergreen vines that can reach enormous heights in the wild (100 ft.). They grow up and climb trees, their aerial roots clinging to the trunks. The leaves can be fenestrated (or split) and have holes. These fenestrations boost the plant’s exposure to sunlight, allowing more light to pass through the upper leaves. 

Monsteras are significantly smaller than houseplants but can still grow quite large. A variegated form of Monstera deliciosa is a monstera deliciosa albo variegata. The albo was created by a natural plant mutation, which was then propagated and duplicated. This implies that each monstera albo leaf is unique, and you never know what you’ll get until the leaf unfolds. 

15. Watermelon Peperomia

Peperomia argyreia

Light Needs:Avoid direct sunlight, it does not need too much light
Special Notes:Also known as the Peperomia sandersii or Watermelon Begonia

The Watermelon Peperomia is an upright and bushy plant that can reach a height of 8 inches in the tropics but is better suited for growing indoors in cooler areas. Watermelon Peperomia gets its name because its leaves look like the rind of watermelon with light green stripes.

They are generally little and look best when grouped with other plants with the same cultural requirements. Watermelon-striped waxy leaves and a spike inflorescence of creamy white give this plant visual appeal as a desk plant. The plant can survive months with minimal light without becoming stressed. It can’t handle the damp ground and doesn’t like cold drafts.

16. Philodendron Birkin

Philodendron’ Birkin’

Light Needs:Indirect sunlight
Special Notes:Prefers moist soil

You’re in for a treat if you’re lucky enough to have this stunning one-of-a-kind houseplant in your home. The brilliant yellow striping on dark green glossy foliage will give your living room a lot of personality.

The Philodendron Birkin is a hybrid of the Rojo Congo and Imperial Green cultivars, hybrids of Philodendron erubescens. Its most distinguishing features are the deep-green leaves with bright yellow pattern lines. It may revert to its Rojo Congo parentage, a dark red plant.

17. Friendship Plant

Pilea involucrata ‘Moon Valley’

Light Needs:Partial sunlight
Special Notes:Keep temperatures above 65 °F (18 °C)

Plants thrive in bright indirect light and a warm, humid indoor setting—place in a humid environment with potting soil that contains peat moss. During the growth season, water is moderate but less so in the fall and winter. Stem pinching is a technique used to maintain a compact plant shape. The common term “friendship plant” comes from the ease with which it can be grown via stem cuttings, making it ideal for trading amongst friends.

18. Snake Plant

Sansevieria trifasciata

Light Needs:Indirect sunlight
Special Notes:Also known as the Good Luck Plant – it is an easy-to-grow houseplant. A great source of indoor fresh air, according to NASA.

Plant where it will get 2–6 hours of direct sunlight total every day because it can survive on very little light. Overwatering causes root rot, so use caution and plant in well-drained soil. Let the soil dry out between waterings from spring through fall. During the colder months, you should only water once every two months. Temperatures of about 50 °F (10 °C) with low humidity are fine. 

19. Silver Satin Pothos

Scindapsus pictus

Light Needs:Indirect sunlight. Avoid bright light for this light green plant.
Special Notes:Also known as the Silk Pothos. Ideal for a hanging basket

Of the aroid family, the Satin Pothos offers attractive foliage and can survive in low-light environments if the soil moisture is managed. Trailing stems can be vined or allowed to beautify an area from a hanging basket. 

20. Peace Lily

Spathiphyllum wallisii’ Domino’

Light Needs:A known low-light favorite
Special Notes:The name comes from the white flowers (spaths) this plant has

Peace lilies (Spathiphyllum species) are attractive indoor foliage plants that produce showy white arum-like spathes. They aren’t true lilies but aroid (members of the Araceae family). Peace lilies are tropical evergreen plants that grow on the forest floor and enjoy dappled light and consistent moisture.

21. Syngonium Albo

Syngonium podophyllum ‘Albo Variegata’

Light Needs:Avoid bright light
Special Notes:White markings

Warm, humid conditions are optimal. Full sun will scorch or bleach foliage. It can be cultivated annually in containers or bright yet shady areas. Young plants are shrubby, but they become vine-like as they age. Cut stems as they grow to preserve arrowhead foliage. That will maintain the plant shrubby. Repotting and pruning the roots can keep the plant manageable.

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