If you are shopping for a spider plant to buy and simply want to know what spider plant varieties are available, the 3 main types include:
- Green
- Variegated
- Curly
They all have the same plant care needs and produce spider plant baby offshoots. The main difference is their appearance.
Variegated: The most common variety is the variegated kind. In fact, most people don’t know that there other types beyond this one. Although they are the most easy to find of the 3, variegated spider plants can be a very spectacular-looking plant, especially with lots of off-shoots.
Green: The solid green (sometimes called “Shamrock” or “Ocean”) is not as easy to find. Many nurseries do not carry this variety, but you can sometimes find it online. Also, you can search for “Chlorophytum Comosum” to find it.
I think its unique coloring looks cool amongst variegated spider plants, but this harder-to-find version can often cost a little more. However, since you can get 50+ spiderettes by the end of the first year, you get more than your money’s worth.
Curly: Curly spider plants (sometimes referred to as Bonnie Curly Spider Plants) look like a variegated plant with curly leaves… and curly babies. That said, their unusual style can make them more challenging to find.
eBay can also be a good place to look if you want to buy several curly spider plant cuttings.
Spider Plant Varieties… in Detail
To get more specific, the spider plant species (otherwise known as Chlorophytum Comosum) has 2 plant types: Variegatum and Vittatum. The visual difference between these 2 spider plant varieties is their color and striping.
As you can see below, Variegatum features a darker green stripe down the center of the leaf, while the Vittatum features a white stripe down the center of the blade with outer lighter-green edges. Both plant varieties produce spiderettes and can be propagated the same way.
Chlorophytum Bichetii
Another similar type of non-flowering Chlorophytum is the Chlorophytum Bichetii.
As you can see, plants have no spiderette off-shoots. This variety could possibly work better as a ground covering than as a hanging plant for this reason.
In any case, both plant types have the same water, light and care needs. In fact, they look so similar that you could mistake one for the other.
Chlorophytum Capense
Another species of the spider plant has the name Chlorophytum Capense (sometimes called a Bracketplant).
It does not produce hanging plantlets, and its leaves look solid green (sometimes with outer white edges as shown in the photo).
It does, however, produce similar-looking white flowers but they stick straight up rather than hanging down.
