Peace Lily

Spathiphyllum wallisii

Family: AraceaeNative: Central and South America

A popular indoor plant known for its dark green, glossy, lance-shaped leaves and distinctive white spathes that look like flowers.

Light: Medium to bright indirect light; direct sunlight can scorch the leaves, while too little light prevents blooming.
Water: Water when the top inch of soil is dry. The plant 'tells' you it is thirsty by wilting dramatically, but quickly recovers after watering.
Growth: Clumping herbaceous perennial; typically grows to 1-4 feet depending on the cultivar.

Care instructions

Place in bright, indirect light; keep soil consistently moist but never soggy; feed every 6 weeks in spring/summer.

Medium to bright indirect light; direct sunlight can scorch the leaves, while too little light prevents blooming.

Water when the top inch of soil is dry. The plant 'tells' you it is thirsty by wilting dramatically, but quickly recovers after watering.

Well-draining, peat-based potting mix with a pH between 5.8 and 6.5.

USDA zones 11-12; grown indoors elsewhere.

Clumping herbaceous perennial; typically grows to 1-4 feet depending on the cultivar.

Spring and occasionally late summer; features a white hood-like spathe around a creamy-yellow spadix.

Propagation is easiest by division of the root clump during repotting in the spring.

Brown leaf tips (low humidity or chemicals in tap water), root rot (overwatering), and pests like mealybugs or spider mites.

Calla Lily (Zantedeschia) has similar flowers but different leaf structure; Anthurium has similar spadix/spathe but typically heart-shaped leaves.

Peace Lilies were identified by NASA as one of the best air-filtering plants. They are not true lilies but members of the Arum family.