Indoor plants are key to making your house feel like a home and big leaf indoor plants are a fantastic way to level up your decor. Whether as a singular statement piece in your living room or to turn your home into a lovely tropical jungle, here are 8 common big leaf plants that can thrive indoors.
I absolutely love big leaf plants and often prefer them over flowering ones thanks to their lush foliage, rich greenery and that lovely tropical feeling they create. Where I live, big leaf plants are in abundance and native to my climate, which means they’re on every street corner and outdoor space!
It took a lot of trial and error to see which do best indoors so here’s my recommendation based on some experience.
1. Elephant Ears or Alocasia – my favorite big leaf plant!
Elephant ears are known to be native in hot climates with plenty of sunshine so this means they’re often overlooked as an indoor plant. However, there are many different elephant ears species and what you’re looking for specifically is Alocasia Odora.
Alocasia Odora is a shade loving variety that thrives in indirect light and makes an excellent home decor piece, especially as a standalone plant. With so many plants to pick from, this has my heart. It’s simple, elegant and the leaves are fantastic.
This one sold by Greenhouse PCA is a bargain with 3 bulbs for a good price
Quick Facts
- Size: Up to 8ft in height and 3ft in width
- Water: Likes moist soil but do not let soak or sit in soggy soil
- Light: Indirect or shaded light
2. Monstera Delicosa
Any plant aficionado will have the classic Monstera at the top of their big leaf indoor plant list. Monstera Delicosa is known by its large leather-like leaves with perfectly shaped holes in its leaves, giving it durability to withstand harsh winds in the wild and allowing shaded light to reach lower leaves for optimal growth. This Monstera plant comes highly recommended. If you’re getting one, you can learn some quick Monstera care tips in this article.
Personally, I like to believe Mother Nature was just getting creative with the design on this one! Ah but while we’re looking at split leave plants, don’t confuse this Monstera with it’s identical cousin, the split leave philodendron. Learn how to tell them apart here, and pick up the right plant for your home.
Quick Facts
- Size: Up to 10ft tall as a mature plant
- Water: Allow soil to dry between watering, do not allow to sit in soggy soil
- Light: Indirect or shaded light
- Needs: A support pole to allow climbing and keep it upright
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3. Table Palm or Fan Palm
Underrated and absolutely perfect as an indoor plant, the Table or Fan palm is recognizable by its ruffled large leaves and thorny trunk. Its leaves cannot stand direct light so it works perfectly indoors.
Additionally, it’s a slow grower and has a strong central root which means it can handle occasional neglect if you’re a frequent traveller or infrequent waterer.
Life lesson: I had my fan palm outdoors in direct light; it burnt to a crisp then had new growth after pruning and moving it to a shady spot with indirect light. It’s only at 2+ feet after two years of on-and-off neglect but still a vibrant green with lush leaves.
Quick Facts
- Size: Up to 6ft tall as a mature plant
- Water: Allow to between watering and ensure well draining soil
- Light: Indirect or shaded light
4. Calathea Orbifolia
Here’s a good choice if you’re looking for a big leaf indoor plant that’s not actually a big plant. Big leaves, small plant. This Calathea has lovely rounded leaves that are lighter in color than most indoor plants and is known as one of the best plants with striped leaves. If you look closely, they almost appear silver in colour.
It’s an elegant round leaf plant; perfect for table tops, shelves and coffee tables; it adds a great fresh tropical feel to any space. It’s also perfect as a gift – housewarming, birthdays or just to make someone’s day at the office.
This Calathea by the Green Escape comes with Winter Insurance!
Quick Facts
- Size: Up to 3ft as a mature plant
- Water: Requires even moisture, do not allow to dry out completely
- Light: Bright, indirect light
- Needs: Sufficient humidity
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5. Dumb Cane
There are many theories of how this plant got it’s name but one thing is for sure, it’s great for beginners. Almost as if it’s an indoor plant for dummies?
Another plant with striped leaves, the Dumb Cane is a perennial plant that is as fuss-free as can be. It can tolerate a bit of neglect, has no specific soil requirements and just needs basic care to thrive indoors.
Get this dumb cane and brighten up your home immediately – large leaves and contrasting stripes, what’s not to love?
Quick Facts
- Size: Up to 10ft as a mature plant
- Water: Water when the top 2 inches is dry
- Light: Tolerant to most lighting conditions including low light
6. Philodendron Selloum – best value plant
If you like long leaf plants, this is it. The Selloum is unique, snazzy and looks absolutely lovely with its large, shiny, jagged-edge leaves. It does well outdoors as it has roots similar to a tree, but has become a popular choice as an indoor plant.
To allow this baby to reach its potential size, you would need to keep an eye out for protruding roots as it gets bigger and take it as a telltale sign that the plant needs a bigger pot. Otherwise, stick it in the ground and let nature take its course, with some patience, you’ll have a mini jungle!
This Philodendron Selloum is a good choice. If you’re a reader of this site, you know I love a good deal (discounts, free shipping and when it comes to plants, free returns!)
Quick Facts
- Size: Up to 8-10ft as a mature plant
- Water: Water when the top 2 inches is dry
- Light: Medium indirect light
- Needs: Chunky potting mix (consider an aroid mix)
7. Philodendron Gloriosum
A more uncommon plant and native to Colombia, the Gloriosum (or velvet philodendron) has beautiful, velvety leaves that can grow up to 1 feet in size!
This isn’t a completely fuss-free plant as it requires plant care experience as it’s a slow grower and any impatience can result in overwatering or overfeeding (fertiliser)!
I personally wouldn’t recommend this plant for beginners but it works beautifully for anyone who can patiently wait for new leaves. After all, all good things take time!
Quick Facts
- Size: Up to 3ft
- Water: Even and consistent moisture (do not allow to dry out completely)
- Light: Medium indirect light
8. Paper Plant or Fatsia Japonica
Last on the list for being slightly less common but equally lovely is the Paper Plant. It originates from Asia and is known for its split leaves that is often mistaken for a castor plant.
They do well in shaded areas of the home and cannot tolerate direct sunlight. As the plant matures, leaves can spread outwards so maintenance to keep them in shape (and size) would be necessary.
Quick Facts
- Size: Up to 8ft
- Water: Requires consistent moisture but do not soak or allow it to sit in water
- Light: Medium indirect light
When choosing big leaf plants to keep indoors, don’t overthink it. Pick a plant based on light availability in your home and worry about maintenance details later. If you’re worried that your plants may grow too big for your space, everything can be contained with routined pruning.
Here are a few additional thoughts when it comes to indoor plants.
Which indoor plants have the biggest leaf?
Monstera delicosa, elephant ears and musa banana tree. The latter didn’t make it to the original list as it’s still a tree and not entirely fuss-free. It grows easily once mature but requires time to stablise and learn its water requirements. Monstera is generally the most common big leaf indoor plant; courtesy of it’s big lush leaves and unique leaf pattern. Because it’s gorgeous and generally quite fuss-free, it makes a lovely housewarming gift. Actually, it makes a lovely gift in general, especially for anyone who needs a little bit of color in their home!
Which is the easiest indoor plant with big leaves?
Snake plant. Their leaves are not big but grow upwards reaching a height of 2 – 6 feet. The snake plant is definitely the easiest to care for because it can tolerate neglect, doesn’t require plenty of light or water and can continue to thrive without fertiliser. This doesn’t mean you should neglect your plants but it does well for beginners, frequent travellers or anyone who just wants plants yet might not be able to water them frequently.
Why are big leaf plants better?
Mainly because they’re beautiful and the lush greenery adds a tropical jungle feel to your home. Large leaves also survive easily in hot, wet, and tropical climates.
Did you know the transpiration process traps heat and releases up to 97% of its water into its surroundings? This is a bonus point for us; this process aids in keeping our temperatures cool and adds humidity to the air; in small doses, of course.
It’s a leafy wrap up
Beginner or expert, add big leaf indoor plants to your home and see how your living spaces immediately perk up. If you’re in doubt, just grow it anyway and learn along the way. So what are you waiting for? Let’s grow, baby!
