Spider plant vs Peace lily
Chlorophytum comosum · Spathiphyllum wallisii
Pet safety: Spider plant is listed non-toxic to cats and dogs; Peace lily is toxic (insoluble calcium oxalates). If the two are sold under the same name, a mislabelled plant is a genuine risk in a house with animals.
Why these two get mixed up
Peace lily is recorded here as a pet-safe alternative to Spider plant, so the question is usually whether the swap is actually a fair one.
| Spider plant | Peace lily | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Chlorophytum comosum | Spathiphyllum wallisii |
| Family | Asparagaceae | Araceae |
| Light floor | Medium | Low |
| Water | 7–10 days | 5–7 days |
| Humidity floor | 40% | 40% |
| Mature height | 12–24 in | 12–24 in |
| Habit | clumping | clumping |
| Growth rate | fast | moderate |
| Difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Toxic to pets | No | Yes |
| Typical price | $10–25 | $15–40 |
Highlighted cells are where the two actually differ. Everything else they share.
The differences that matter
Pet safety
This is the difference that matters most. Spider plant is listed non-toxic to cats and dogs; Peace lily is toxic (insoluble calcium oxalates). If the two are sold under the same name, a mislabelled plant is a genuine risk in a house with animals.
Light
Peace lily tolerates low light; Spider plant needs medium as a floor. Put the second in the first's spot and it stretches and declines.
Not even related
Spider plant is Asparagaceae, Peace lily is Araceae. They share a shop label and nothing else — different families, different continents, different care.
Which should you buy?
- With a cat or dog in the house, take Spider plant. The other is toxic, and if the shop label is wrong you will not know which you have brought home.
- In a dim room, take Peace lily.
- If you forget to water, take Spider plant, which goes 8 days between drinks.
- If it is your first plant, take Spider plant, at 1 of 5.
- For a small shelf, take either.
Full entries
Spider plant — care fields with sources, toxicity with every authority consulted, propagation and diagnosis. Peace lily — the same.
Sources
- This database's own care records for Chlorophytum comosum and Spathiphyllum wallisii — every figure compared above.
- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — accepted names and families for Chlorophytum comosum and Spathiphyllum wallisii
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control — toxicity classification for both, cited on each species entry
- Photographs: Wikimedia Commons, individually credited and licensed above
Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-12
Every comparison above is drawn from a recorded field. Where the honest
distinguisher is visual we show both photographs rather than describing a leaf
we have no field for. How this is sourced.