Plants people confuse
148 curated pairs from 100 species
Only pairs with a reason to exist: a shared trade name, the same genus, or a recorded pet-safe substitution. A hundred species allow 4,950 combinations and we publish 148 of them.
Sold under the same name
The trade calls both of these the same thing, so a shop label tells you nothing. — 14 pairs.
- Swiss cheese plant vs Tree philodendron both "split-leaf philodendron"
- Pothos vs Satin pothos both "pothos"
- Pothos vs Dragon tail plant both "pothos"
- Spider plant vs Lucky bamboo both "ribbon plant"
- Rubber plant vs Baby rubber plant both "rubber plant"
- Calathea orbifolia vs Prayer plant both "prayer plant"
- Zebra alocasia vs Zebra haworthia both "zebra plant"
- African milk tree vs Mistletoe cactus both "cactus"
- Bamboo palm vs Lady palm both "bamboo palm"
- String of hearts vs String of pearls both "rosary vine"
- Dragon tail plant vs Satin pothos both "pothos"
- African mask plant vs Caladium both "elephant ear"
- African mask plant vs Zebra alocasia both "elephant ear"
- Zebra alocasia vs Caladium both "elephant ear"
Same genus
Close relatives that arrive on the same shelf under near-identical labels. — 33 pairs.
- Swiss cheese vine vs Swiss cheese plant Monstera
- Corn plant vs Snake plant Dracaena
- Dragon tree vs Snake plant Dracaena
- Lucky bamboo vs Snake plant Dracaena
- Rubber plant vs Fiddle leaf fig Ficus
- Weeping fig vs Fiddle leaf fig Ficus
- Fiddle leaf fig vs Creeping fig Ficus
- Banyan fig vs Fiddle leaf fig Ficus
- Parlor palm vs Bamboo palm Chamaedorea
- Watermelon peperomia vs Baby rubber plant Peperomia
- Ripple peperomia vs Baby rubber plant Peperomia
- Baby rubber plant vs String of turtles Peperomia
- Weeping fig vs Rubber plant Ficus
- Rubber plant vs Creeping fig Ficus
- Banyan fig vs Rubber plant Ficus
- Corn plant vs Dragon tree Dracaena
- Corn plant vs Lucky bamboo Dracaena
- Tree philodendron vs Heartleaf philodendron Philodendron
- Blushing philodendron vs Heartleaf philodendron Philodendron
- Wax plant vs Sweetheart hoya Hoya
- Polka dot begonia vs Rex begonia Begonia
- Crown of thorns vs African milk tree Euphorbia
- Burro’s tail vs Jelly bean plant Sedum
- Dragon tree vs Lucky bamboo Dracaena
- Weeping fig vs Creeping fig Ficus
- Banyan fig vs Weeping fig Ficus
- Rattlesnake plant vs Calathea orbifolia Goeppertia
- Watermelon peperomia vs Ripple peperomia Peperomia
- Watermelon peperomia vs String of turtles Peperomia
- String of bananas vs String of pearls Curio
- Tree philodendron vs Blushing philodendron Philodendron
- Banyan fig vs Creeping fig Ficus
- Ripple peperomia vs String of turtles Peperomia
Pet-safe substitutes
One is recorded here as the non-toxic alternative to the other. — 101 pairs.
- Parlor palm vs Swiss cheese plant pet-safe substitute
- Cast iron plant vs Swiss cheese plant pet-safe substitute
- Swiss cheese plant vs Baby rubber plant pet-safe substitute
- Spider plant vs Snake plant pet-safe substitute
- Cast iron plant vs Snake plant pet-safe substitute
- Spider plant vs Pothos pet-safe substitute
- Pothos vs Baby rubber plant pet-safe substitute
- Cast iron plant vs ZZ plant pet-safe substitute
- Parlor palm vs ZZ plant pet-safe substitute
- Spider plant vs Peace lily pet-safe substitute
- Parlor palm vs Peace lily pet-safe substitute
- Parlor palm vs Fiddle leaf fig pet-safe substitute
- Parlor palm vs Rubber plant pet-safe substitute
- Rubber plant vs Chinese money plant pet-safe substitute
- Parlor palm vs Corn plant pet-safe substitute
- Ponytail palm vs Corn plant pet-safe substitute
- Heartleaf philodendron vs Chinese money plant pet-safe substitute
- Wax plant vs Heartleaf philodendron pet-safe substitute
- Baby rubber plant vs Heartleaf philodendron pet-safe substitute
- Chinese evergreen vs Prayer plant pet-safe substitute
- Chinese evergreen vs Chinese money plant pet-safe substitute
- English ivy vs Wax plant pet-safe substitute
- English ivy vs Baby rubber plant pet-safe substitute
- English ivy vs Chinese money plant pet-safe substitute
- Jade plant vs Zebra haworthia pet-safe substitute
- Jade plant vs Christmas cactus pet-safe substitute
- Aloe vera vs Zebra haworthia pet-safe substitute
- Aloe vera vs Christmas cactus pet-safe substitute
- Dumb cane vs Nerve plant pet-safe substitute
- Dumb cane vs Baby rubber plant pet-safe substitute
- Flamingo flower vs Nerve plant pet-safe substitute
- Flamingo flower vs Baby rubber plant pet-safe substitute
- Arrowhead vine vs Inch plant pet-safe substitute
- Nerve plant vs Arrowhead vine pet-safe substitute
- Baby rubber plant vs Inch plant pet-safe substitute
- Chinese money plant vs Inch plant pet-safe substitute
- Polka dot begonia vs Nerve plant pet-safe substitute
- Polka dot begonia vs Chinese money plant pet-safe substitute
- African milk tree vs Zebra haworthia pet-safe substitute
- African milk tree vs Burro’s tail pet-safe substitute
- Mexican snowball vs Flaming Katy pet-safe substitute
- Flaming Katy vs Burro’s tail pet-safe substitute
- Ponytail palm vs Spineless yucca pet-safe substitute
- Parlor palm vs Spineless yucca pet-safe substitute
- Asparagus fern vs Boston fern pet-safe substitute
- Maidenhair fern vs Asparagus fern pet-safe substitute
- Florist’s cyclamen vs African violet pet-safe substitute
- Florist’s cyclamen vs Nerve plant pet-safe substitute
- Parlor palm vs Dragon tree pet-safe substitute
- Dragon tree vs Kentia palm pet-safe substitute
- Parlor palm vs Lucky bamboo pet-safe substitute
- Lucky bamboo vs Baby rubber plant pet-safe substitute
- Weeping fig vs Kentia palm pet-safe substitute
- Parlor palm vs Weeping fig pet-safe substitute
- Kentia palm vs Dwarf umbrella tree pet-safe substitute
- Baby rubber plant vs Dwarf umbrella tree pet-safe substitute
- Kentia palm vs Bird of paradise pet-safe substitute
- Lady palm vs Bird of paradise pet-safe substitute
- String of pearls vs Burro’s tail pet-safe substitute
- Watermelon peperomia vs Mini monstera pet-safe substitute
- Chinese money plant vs Mini monstera pet-safe substitute
- Watermelon peperomia vs Satin pothos pet-safe substitute
- Wax plant vs Satin pothos pet-safe substitute
- Swiss cheese vine vs Chinese money plant pet-safe substitute
- Swiss cheese vine vs Watermelon peperomia pet-safe substitute
- African mask plant vs Watermelon peperomia pet-safe substitute
- African mask plant vs Rattlesnake plant pet-safe substitute
- Croton vs Watermelon peperomia pet-safe substitute
- Croton vs Polka dot plant pet-safe substitute
- Ti plant vs Lady palm pet-safe substitute
- Ti plant vs Watermelon peperomia pet-safe substitute
- Purple shamrock vs Watermelon peperomia pet-safe substitute
- Purple shamrock vs Chinese money plant pet-safe substitute
- Crown of thorns vs Elephant bush pet-safe substitute
- Crown of thorns vs Zebra haworthia pet-safe substitute
- Bamboo palm vs Tree philodendron pet-safe substitute
- Tree philodendron vs Blue star fern pet-safe substitute
- Bamboo palm vs Calla lily pet-safe substitute
- Table fern vs Calla lily pet-safe substitute
- Caladium vs Table fern pet-safe substitute
- Caladium vs Ripple peperomia pet-safe substitute
- Zebra alocasia vs Ripple peperomia pet-safe substitute
- Zebra alocasia vs Table fern pet-safe substitute
- Ripple peperomia vs Blushing philodendron pet-safe substitute
- Sweetheart hoya vs Blushing philodendron pet-safe substitute
- Dragon tail plant vs String of turtles pet-safe substitute
- Dragon tail plant vs Sweetheart hoya pet-safe substitute
- Ox tongue vs Jelly bean plant pet-safe substitute
- Zebra haworthia vs Jelly bean plant pet-safe substitute
- String of bananas vs Burro’s tail pet-safe substitute
- String of bananas vs Mistletoe cactus pet-safe substitute
- Creeping fig vs Baby’s tears pet-safe substitute
- Creeping fig vs Table fern pet-safe substitute
- Bamboo palm vs Banyan fig pet-safe substitute
- Banyan fig vs Blue star fern pet-safe substitute
- Turtle vine vs Ripple peperomia pet-safe substitute
- Turtle vine vs Baby’s tears pet-safe substitute
- Rex begonia vs Ripple peperomia pet-safe substitute
- Rex begonia vs Table fern pet-safe substitute
- Coffee plant vs Blue star fern pet-safe substitute
- Coffee plant vs Ripple peperomia pet-safe substitute
Why this list is short
Generating every possible pair would produce nearly five thousand pages that nobody searched for, which is the doorway pattern Google's scaled-content policy describes and the fastest way to lose a reference site. A pair appears here only if there is a stated reason a real person would mix the two up.
The most useful group is the first. Two plants sold as "pothos" or three sold as "elephant ear" are not a naming curiosity — one of the two plants labelled "zebra plant" is toxic to cats and the other is not, and the shop label will not tell you which.
Sources
- This database's own care records for 100 species; each entry cites its own authorities
- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — accepted names and families
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control — toxicity classification
Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-12. How this is sourced.