Did you know that some Indoor Plants can Change Color? We explore why they do this and share a list of the most prominent ones!
Did you know some house plants have foliage that morphs hues, while others have flowers that change color? Let’s explore these plants so you may select your favorite picks to liven up your home!
Why do Plants Change Color?
Just like our skin, plants have pigments that give them their color. The main ones are chlorophyll for green, anthocyanins that give red, purple, and blue, and carotenoids and flavonoids for orange and yellow.
When a plant is young or in stress, it might make less chlorophyll, letting other pigments show through, thus displaying different colors. Light, temperature, and even soil pH can affect the pigments in a plant and, therefore, its hue.
This color change can help it attract pollinators, protect itself from harsh sunlight, or even signal danger to other plants. Let’s take a look!
Indoor Plants With Color-Changing Foliage
1. Croton
Botanical Name: Codiaeum variegatum
Crotons are known for their beautiful and colorful leaves, but the standout is the different colors and patterns in their leaves. From yellow and green to purple and white or even deep shades of red, this plant is treasured for its varied hues.
However, you may find that its tropical-looking leaves sometimes fade and lose their brightness. This is because crotons love warmth and long hours of indirect sun. No light or exposure to direct, harsh sunlight and cold can cause its leaves to change colors.
2. Begonias
Botanical Name: Begonia
Many begonia varieties are known to change colors due to the soil pH and sunlight. If the soil is acidic, your begonia will have brighter shades of red, but the leaves will turn purple if it’s alkaline. And without ample sunshine, its leaves may even turn pink!
3. Polka Dot Plant
Botanical Name: Hypoestes phyllostachya
These tropical plants have brightly colored spotted leaves with splashes of pink, red, white, and lime green on a deep green base. Under full, dappled sunshine, the leaves maintain their colors for the most part.
However, they begin to fade in either too much shade or harsh sunshine, which can even blur the variegation on their leaves.
4. Caladiums
Botanical Name: Caladium
Caladiums can actually showcase a wide spectrum of shades throughout a single season. New leaves on the same plant may emerge a different color than older leaves, creating an ever-evolving display.
The foliage appears in white, pink, red, and green and can vary with the amount of light it receives, temperature, and maturity. For the best hues, this shade-loving plant prefers well-draining, nutrient-rich soil and partial, dappled sunshine.
5. Autumn Fern
Botanical Name: Dryopteris erythrosora
As the name suggests, this fern’s fronds wear seasonal hues! They turn from fresh green in summer to a stunning coppery orange-red in spring. Perfect for adding color to shade gardens, the older fronds turn a deep reddish bronze by fall. And the cycle repeats itself!
Preferring partial to full shade, filtered sunshine helps enhance its hues, but too much light can scorch the fronds and fade its colors.
6. Oxalis
Botanical Name: Oxalis
Next on our list of indoor plants with leaves that change color is oxalis and its many varieties. These plants display phototropism—the leaves open during the day and close at night in the dark. The leaves alter hues according to the amount and intensity of light they receive. In some varieties, the hues of the flowers also vary.
Read this article to discover the best oxalis varieties you can grow at home.
Indoor Plants With Floral Color Change
7. Peace Lily
Botanical Name: Spathiphyllum
Peace lily spathes—bracts enclosing a flower cluster—start off white and turn green with age! The spathes are white when young to attract pollinators in their natural habitats. But they turn green as the plant matures because chlorophyll production increases as pollination becomes less likely. And eventually, they become brown and wilt away.
Insufficient light, improper watering, weather changes, and nutrition imbalance can also cause it to turn green.
8. Christmas Cactus
Botanical Name: Schlumbergera
Christmas cactus flowers start with white or light pink buds. As the blooms open, their pastel hues deepen to a magenta or even red in cool weather, at around 50 F (10 C). Also, this stunning succulent is a short-day plant, meaning it needs long, dark nights of slumber to enter its blooming phase efficiently. Here are more reasons to grow it.
9. Anthurium
Botanical Name: Anthurium
These tropical, evergreen stunners are known for their long-lasting spathes and glossy, lance-shaped foliage. The blooms start out in shades of red, pink, or orange, and either deepen or fade as they get older.
They thrive in bright, indirect light and can fade under too much sun or even turn green in full shade.
10. Hydrangea
Botanical Name: Hydrangea macrophylla
Finally, we come to the most famous floral color-changing specimen–hydrangea! Its blooms don’t just fade or deepen but change completely according to the soil pH. In acidic soils, hydrangea blooms emerge in shades of blue, and as you move to higher pH levels, they start turning pink!
Grow them in pots to influence the acidity and change their color.
