Heat Tolerant Indoor Plants (You Will Love!)
When living in a warm region, or even areas that experience hotter than average seasons, you don’t always have the luxury of selecting just any indoor plant. Between the hot temps and the brighter sun, anything less than a heat-tolerant indoor plant can easily burn and even die. What are some heat tolerant indoor plants you can select?
The following are all heat-tolerant indoor plants:
- Travelers palm
- Ponytail palm
- Croton
- ZZ plant
- Pothos
- Spider plant
- Aloe vera
- Geranium
- Crown of thorns
- Kalanchoe
- African spear
- Hibiscus
- Cast iron plant
These plants are good to grow if have a hot room (or several) in your home or when you’re trying to get your plant through a scorching summer. If you’re in the orange/red portion of the USDA hardiness zone map, you’ll also need heat-tolerant plants. In this article, I’ll provide some care tips for the above indoor plants that are sure to come in handy!
13 Indoor Plants That Can Handle Your Hot Home
Travelers Palm
Let’s start this list with a plant species I have yet to discuss here on Indoor Plants for Beginners, the travelers palm or Ravenala madagascariensis.
As that name insinuates, yes, the travelers palm grows natively in Madagascar. It fans out dramatically when fully grown, making a huge visual impact both indoors and outdoors.
Although it’s not considered a true palm, you’d never know it by caring for the travelers palm. Grown indoors as a houseplant, Travelers Palm’s prefer temps no lower than 60 degrees Fahrenheit and plenty of bright, indirect light to encourage those fronds to spread wide.
Ponytail Palm
Just like the travelers palm, the ponytail palm isn’t a real palm species either. Yet its wild-looking fronds have made this plant a favorite among many indoor gardeners anyway.
Temperatures of 60 to 80 degrees and average humidity levels will set up the ponytail palm to grow, as will plenty of bright, indirect sun. If things get a little dry as well as hot, don’t stress, as the ponytail palm is fairly drought-resistant.
Croton
With its bouquet of colorful leaves, the croton is a tropical indoor plant that doesn’t only tolerate heat, but loves it.
Keep its temperatures around 80 degrees and never any lower than 55 degrees. In temps that low, the croton’s vivid leaves will begin browning, which is a surefire way to make your pretty plant look sad.
ZZ Plant
Regular readers of the blog will have expected to see the ZZ plant on this list, as the Zamioculcas zamiifolia can handle just about anything and everything you throw at it.
Although its preferred temperature range is 65 to 75 degrees, should the temperatures climb well over 75, you won’t get any complaints from the ZZ plant. If anything, it might grow more!
That said, the ZZ plant isn’t as fond of dry air as it is heat.
To induce some moisture in this part of your indoor garden, I’d recommend plugging in a humidifier for a few hours. You can also periodically mist your ZZ plant if it isn’t all that dry.
Pothos
If you’ve got a room that normally gets hot enough to wilt all your other indoor plants, the pothos will likely be just fine in that room. Even if the temperatures get well outside of some people’s comfort zones, roughly 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the pothos or Golden Pothos will be right at home in the heat.
By the way, 90 °F is equal to 32.22 °C
However, do take care that its environment doesn’t become too much hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit. In temps over 90 degrees, the pothos’ growth will slow down.
Although variegated versus unvariegated pothos’ temperature requirements aren’t different, that’s not the case for how much light this plant needs. Without a reliable source of bright, indirect sun, your variegated pothos will soon lose its coloring and patterning.
Spider Plant
Another houseplant that can handle temps of around 90 degrees Fahrenheit is the spider plant. That said, if you can keep things a little cooler in your home or office, that would be best.
What is the Ideal Temperature for a Spider Plant?
The ideal temperature range for the spider plant is 55 to 80 degrees.
Besides being heat-tolerant, the spider plant is surprisingly cold-tolerant as well. When grown outdoors (since I’m sure you’d never let it get this cold indoors) in 35-degree temperatures, the spider plant will be unharmed.
However, your spider plant will enter a state of dormancy until its conditions improve.
Aloe Vera
The aloe vera, hailing from the Arabian Peninsula, is used to warm conditions. You should water your Aloe Vera plant maybe once or twice per month depending on how dry its soil feels.
Temperatures that climb to 80, even 85 degrees Fahrenheit are permissible for the aloe vera, although you’ll probably get less growth out of your plant than if the temperatures were to drop below 75 degrees.
Since it’s so adjusted to dry air, you don’t have to turn on your humidifier around the aloe vera. If you get its temperature right, growth will follow so you’ll always have a reliable source of aloe vera gel.
Geranium
You tend to shield your flowering plants from any and all temperature extremes, as disruptions to their care can prevent them from looming. For the most part, this is good behavior, but it’s not needed for the geranium.
As hybrid geraniums have become popularized throughout Arizona and Texas, it’s not unusual for colorful geraniums to be able to withstand temperatures up to and even slightly over 100 degrees Fahrenheit without wilting.
Even if your geranium isn’t a hybrid variety, the original geranium can still thrive in warm temps up to 90 degrees.
Crown of Thorns
The Euphorbia milii or crown of thorns is a second flowering plant species to consider if you live in a hot region but still want to enjoy lovely flowers every day.
Capable of growing indoors or outdoors, if the temps begin inching above 90 degrees, the crown of thorns will most likely be unaffected.
How is this possible, you’re asking? The Euphorbia milii or crown of thorns is a succulent in disguise.
Other facets of its care include at least three hours of bright, indirect sun per day. Water this plant only when its first inch of soil is dry.
Kalanchoe
A native of tropical Africa and Madagascar, the kalanchoe is used to some heat. This indoor houseplant is also a succulent, so go ahead, open a window on a balmy afternoon.
By day, its favorite temperature range is 75 to 80 degrees. At night, temps can reach lows of 60 degrees and the kalanchoe’s growth won’t stop.
I wouldn’t suggest pushing temps too much higher than 80 degrees or your kalanchoe’s floral initiation can slow.
Floral initiation or flower induction allows the shoot apical meristem to grow flowers. Although the kalanchoe isn’t known for its flowers, these beloved blooms in colors like red, pink, and orange are still a wondrous sight to behold if you can get your kalanchoe to bloom.
African Spear
No, I’m not talking about a literal spear, but the Dracaena angolensis, which some call the cylindrical snake plant. Its long, pointed leaves certainly do resemble that of the snake plant. They also look like imposing spears, hence the name.
Growing natively in Angola, the African spear is a succulent. Although it doesn’t like extreme heat, temperatures within the ballpark of 50 to 85 degrees are just fine.
Bright, indirect light is better than the bright sun, as the African spear’s leaves easily burn.
Hibiscus
Yet a third flowering heat tolerant indoor plant is the hibiscus. This tropical plant that does extremely well as an indoor plant, likes temps between 60 and 85 degrees. A few degrees difference either way is fine, but I wouldn’t go too much further beyond that.
When the temperature around your hibiscus falls below 50 degrees, the flowers deform and blooming ceases.
It’s not a much better story when the hibiscus is exposed to very high heat. In 90-degree temperatures or hotter, the hibiscus’ leaves will drop, as will its flowers.
The leaves will also become yellow, putting your plant in a bad state all around. Get it somewhere cooler, ASAP!
Cast Iron Plant
The casual care required of the cast iron plant has earned it a stellar reputation among indoor gardeners. That casualness extends to the cast iron plant’s temperature tolerance as well.
This plant with its large, long leaves is capable of growing in temps of around 85 degrees. Even in much cooler conditions of around 45 degrees, its growth should go on uninterrupted.
Plus, the cast iron plant doesn’t need any extra humidity, which makes it a viable pick for growing in a hot or warm home or office.
Avoid direct sun, as even large plant leaves like those of the cast iron plant can turn brown and burn.
Regardless of the heat in the room of your home where you house your cast iron plant, try to place it in a northerly-facing window if possible.
