Contrary to what advertising for dark room plants say, all plants prefer bright indirect light. No plants like darkness. Some plants can survive low light for extended times, but it is less they can live in lowlight and more they very slowly die in lowlight. With that in mind, I recommend getting a plant light or lights for any plants you buy and put in your dark apartment. I use the yellow version of this light set for my plant area in my house as I have the same issue. I keep it on a separate timer. At my office, I have a sun loving succulent that is thriving on my desk under a lamp like this one . I keep it set for 12 hours of light a day. Having said that, ZZ plants and snake plants are legendary for surviving years in dark areas and little to no water. ZZs are known for thriving on neglect. To the point that they are mistaken by people as fake and only noticed to be real when they finally start dying from no water. There are multiple tales on this subreddit of people leaving their ZZ in a dark closet for 6+ months, only to find it later, give it bright light and water, and get new shoots almost immediately. Answer from bartbartholomew on reddit.com
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/houseplants › recommendations for low light house plants?
r/houseplants on Reddit: Recommendations for low light house plants?
April 20, 2024 -

My apartment doesn’t have east/west facing windows or have window space for plants. In the past I’ve bought plants that say they’re good in low light but always die on me.

What are some low light loving plants that I won’t slowly murder?

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/houseplants › what’s your favorite low light houseplant? currently mine is philodendron mamei!
r/houseplants on Reddit: What’s your favorite low light houseplant? Currently mine is Philodendron Mamei!
November 26, 2024 - My snake plant is in high light and thriving at 4 years old More replies ... Beautiful! For me, pothos are my favorites. They seem pretty indestructible, although I did gift one to a non plant person who somehow managed to kill it. ... I love pothos! I have bunch all around the apartment living in water, I love how they grow small and slow in low light setting, great to fill out low light spots and they don't explode in growth so its easy to maintain.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/plants › low light indoor plant recommendations for a relatively dark bedroom
r/plants on Reddit: Low light indoor plant recommendations for a relatively dark bedroom
December 7, 2023 -

The title pretty much says it all. I’m relatively new to the plant world and really want to bring some into my bedroom but it doesn’t get much light… I’m not completely opposed to getting a few small grow lights but does anyone have recommendations for plants that do well in low lit conditions? Preferably larger / leafier species if that even exists

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/botany › discussion: what are some actually low light plants?
r/botany on Reddit: Discussion: What are some ACTUALLY low light plants?
August 24, 2022 -

Tired of seeing snake plants being listed as low light plants. What are some plants that prefer or thrive in strikingly low light? E.g. Selaginella Uncinata (bonus points if it's viable as a house plant, but not by any means a requirement)

Top answer
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Realise that most plants recommended for low light TOLERATE low light, not thrive in it, and this does include some Snake Plants (Sansevieria). Another plant that does better than most and is often overlooked: Aspidistra.
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You can easily determine this by thinking about the plants ecologically. The only plants that are adapted to low light conditions are those that occur primarily on the forest floor during times when that area is shaded by leaves. So for example many people consider spring ephemerals such as trilliums, Virginia bluebells, and columbine shade adapted because they only occur in forests, but their entire life history is to do almost all their growing early in the spring before forest leaves overhead shade them out. This ends up meaning that they actually prefer sunlight and only occur in forests because they are outcompeted in open areas. If you're talking about houseplants, you need to go further still because most temperate plants are inherently seasonal; they require a cold dormant period to stay healthy and being inside does not provide that. This is the reason why most house plants are tropical plants: things like monsterras and diffenbachias are all native to the forest floors of tropical regions where there is constant shade and relatively consistent temperatures. Lastly, as many others have said, even plants adapted to low light environments often perform better with more light and simply tolerate low light. It's why many leafy tropical plants can be grown as houseplants, but will rarely, if ever flower when grown as such.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/houseplants › what plants are *really* low light tolerant in your opinion?
What plants are *really* low light tolerant in your opinion? : r/houseplants
June 24, 2025 - Based on this photo I would say a bouquet of fresh cut flowers is your best bet. Also I have found that snake plants and spider plants don't mind being moved so you can rotate a few of them through the dark corner and keep the others in a window somewhere else.
Find elsewhere
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/indoorgarden › list: easy, low light houseplants that aren't pothos
r/IndoorGarden on Reddit: List: Easy, low light houseplants that aren't pothos
June 26, 2016 -

It seems on this sub, every time someone requests a plant for a low light situation, usually pothos (Epipremnum aureum) is the first thing that gets recommended.

Now, I'm not saying I dislike pothos. It's a beautiful plant. I have five of them. But, there are several other plant species that do well in low light. Also, not everyone has the space for a four foot long vine.

To clarify what I (and most horticulturalists) mean by low light: Low light is NOT no light. A closet is not a low light situation. Neither is a room with no windows. Low light plants do need light. Basically, if you turn off all of the lights in a room, and you can hold out your hand and see all five fingers in a shadow, you can place a low light plant there.

Next, this list will also not include plants that only tolerate low light. Sansevierias, ZZ plants (Zamioculas zamiifolia), and Dracaenas don't die in low light, but they don't grow either.

Note: Water requirements and growth rates are assuming bright, indirect light (in a windowsill, can see the sky through it). Most plants will require less water and will grow more slowly in lower light levels.

Aglaonema cvv. (Aglaonema 'Maria' shown in picture)

  • Common name: Chinese Evergreen

  • Water: Let dry in between waterings

  • Growth: Medium slow

  • Habit: Upright- bushy

Ardisia elliptica

  • Common name: Shoebutton tree

  • Water: Keep moist

  • Growth: Medium fast

  • Habit: Small tree or shrub

  • Note: This plant is invasive in Florida and Hawaii. If you live in Florida or Hawaii, and wish to grow it, please keep it indoors.

Syngonium podophyllum cvv. (S. podophyllum 'White Butterfly' shown)

  • Common name: Arrowhead vine, African evergreen, American evergreen

  • Water: Let dry in between waterings.

  • Growth: Medium fast

  • Habit: Sprawling- mounding

Saxifraga stoloinifera

  • Common name: Strawberry begonia

  • Water: Keep moist

  • Growth: Medium slow

  • Habit: Sprawling

*Note: This plant self- propagates similar to the spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum). If kept near other plants, it may invade their pots.

Aspidistra elatior

  • Common name: Cast- iron plant

  • Water: Let dry completely in between waterings.

  • Growth: Slow

  • Habit: Upright- bushy

Chlorophytum 'Fire Flash'

  • Common name: No common name

  • Water: Keep moist

  • Growth: Medium slow

  • Habit: Low- growing

  • Note: This plant self- seeds, and seeds germinate readily. To prevent self- seeding, either prune off flowers or prune off fruits before they ripen. To prevent invasiveness in other pots, keep this plant away from other plants.

That's my list! Any questions? Plants I missed?

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/houseplants › any 2 - 3 feet tall plant recommendations for extremely low light ??
r/houseplants on Reddit: any 2 - 3 feet tall plant recommendations for extremely low light ??
December 23, 2024 - Snake plant is a great option bc it won't drop lower leaves after the transition to low light. Zz is also great - but they tend to get wide. mine is thriving in a relatively low light location rn and is about 3 ft tall and 3 ft wide (BUT!
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/coolguides › low light indoor plants
r/coolguides on Reddit: Low light indoor plants
December 20, 2022 - Anything lower than bright indirect light won’t make your houseplants happy in the long run :( ... I wish these charts would just give x lumens over y time of exposure. Milliliters of water per watering followed by frequency followed by mass of plant or soil in pot. ... I have had a Golden pothos for years and sometimes I have almost forgotten it even exists but it is still THRIVING. Best plant ever.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/houseplants › good plants for an office with low light?
r/houseplants on Reddit: Good plants for an office with low light?
January 16, 2024 -

I just got my first job where I have my own private office, and I'd love to bring a plant or two. However, there's not much light. The fluorescent lights are on from 8-4:30 M-Th, and 8-3:30 on Fridays, with no lights on over the weekend. My office is adjacent to a west-facing glass door with a shade over it, and I get a tiny bit of light from there.

Would a pothos, ZZ plant, or snake plant survive, or would I be condemning it to a slow, sad death? Would something else be better?

Edit to add: Thanks for all the responses! I'll bring a pothos and see how it does. I'll ask if I can bring it into the front office during the weekends so it can get some light. I'm excited to brighten up my office with some greenery!

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/indoorplants › good low maintenance/low light plants for inside my shop?
r/IndoorPlants on Reddit: Good low maintenance/low light plants for inside my shop?
September 20, 2024 -

Hey folks, I wanna get some plants for inside my shop. I’m in the shop 5 days a week so I won’t be able to take care of them for two days in a row. I have a large glass front of the store that faces east (located in PA if that’s necessary information) so there’s a good amount of sunlight in the morning. I’m okay with repotting and general maintenance. I just don’t want to have to get too in-depth with plant nutrition if that makes sense. Any resources or recommendations are really appreciated! :)

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Reddit
reddit.com › r/indoorgarden › low light indoor plants that are not tropical?
r/IndoorGarden on Reddit: Low light indoor plants that are NOT tropical?
April 25, 2024 -

I have extremely low light in my bedroom. There’s a soft glow of light coming through one window.

I’m not opposed to using a grow light when I’m gone from home, but what beautiful plants work in these conditions?

I googled already and the search results are repetitive.

I love Mediterranean plants (but I know they love full sun). I had a potted shrub next to the window that held on for some time, but recently withered. I love bonsai, flowers, and am looking for something that appears graceful. I’m not a fan of orchids.

Any ideas?

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Reddit
reddit.com › klp › best-low-light-indoor-plants
Best Low Light Indoor Plants - Reddit
ZZ plants and snake plants can both tolerate low light and neglect. If you don’t mind a slow grower try parlor palms. I also have a peperomia tetragonal that will lose leaves anywhere but in the shade.