Join this article to learn about spiky indoor plant identification by providing you with images and names of 14 spiky houseplants and introducing the best houseplant Identifier to you.
Spiky indoor plants are beautiful with stunning foliage and sometimes gorgeous flowers. Hence, most indoor plant lovers add them to their houseplant collection. If you want to have one of them in your house, you must handle these plants with care, as their sharp tips or spines can be uncomfortable. It is also possible to cause injury if not touched cautiously. So, most of them are not safe- plants for pets and babies.
In the following, I first help you to identify your spiky houseplant with images and then you will get familiar with one of the best houseplant identifiers and will learn how to work with it. let’s get going.
:arrow: You can also hear the audio version of this article.
Here, you will find the spiky house plants names and images with a brief overview of their appearance. You can scroll through images and find your intended spiky indoor plant.
Scientific name: Agave spp.
Other common names: Century Plant, American Aloe
Botanical family: Agavaceae
Appearance:
Agave plants have spiky, often rigid leaves with sharp tips. These spiky house plants can make striking indoor specimens. In terms of spiky indoor plant identification, Agave plants vary in size depending on the species. Some smaller species are suitable for indoor pots and may grow to around 1 to 2 feet (30-60 Cm) in diameter, while larger ones can reach up to 6 feet (180 Cm) or more in diameter.
Agave plants produce tall flower spikes that can reach several feet in height. The flowers are often tubular and can vary in color, including shades of yellow, green, or white. The individual flowers are small and grow densely along the spike.
Scientific name: Aloe barbadensis miller
Other common names: Medicinal Aloe, Burn Plant
Botanical family: Asphodelaceae (formerly Xanthorrhoeaceae)
Appearance:
Aloe is a spiky house plant that has pointed, fleshy leaves with spiky edges. Aloe Vera plants are typically compact and low-growing, reaching heights of 1 to 2 feet (30 – 60 cm) with a similar spread.
Aloe Vera plants can produce tall, slender flower spikes with tubular, pendulous flowers. The flowers are typically orange or yellow and can sometimes have a pleasant, slightly sweet aroma.
Scientific name: Euphorbia milii
Other common names: Christ Plant, Christ Thorn
Botanical family: Euphorbiaceae
Appearance:
About spiky indoor plant identification, here is a short overview of the appearance of Crown of Thorns. This succulent has long, slender stems with sharp thorns. Crown of Thorns can vary in size, with compact varieties suitable for indoor growth reaching heights of 1 to 2 feet (30 – 60 cm).
The crown of thorns produces small, colorful bracts around its tiny flowers. The bracts can be red, pink, or white. The actual flowers are small and often yellow.
Scientific name: Sansevieria trifasciata
Other common names: Snake Plant, Snake Tongue
Botanical family: Asparagaceae
Appearance:
While not thorny, it has pointed, sword-like leaves. Sansevieria plant is a tall spiky houseplant known for its upright, sword-like leaves that can reach heights of 2 to 3 feet (60 – 90 cm) or more, depending on the variety.
Sansevieria infrequently flowers indoors, but when it does, it produces small clusters of greenish-white, tubular flowers. The flowers are not usually the primary attraction of this plant.
Scientific name: Euphorbia tirucalli
Other common names: Milk Bush, Firestick Plant
Botanical family: Euphorbiaceae
Appearance:
This succulent has slender, cylindrical branches lined with small spines. Pencil Cactus can be pruned and maintained at various heights, but this tall spiky houseplant can grow up to 6 to 8 feet or more in the right conditions.
Euphorbia tirucalli occasionally produces small, inconspicuous flowers that are yellow or green and often go unnoticed.
Scientific name: Opuntia microdasys
Other common names: Angel’s Wings, Polka-Dot Cactus
Botanical family: Cactaceae
Appearance:
This cactus features pads covered in glochids, and tiny hair-like spines that can be irritating if touched. This spiky houseplant is a small to medium-sized cactus that can grow up to 20 – 40 cm (8 – 16 in)
The flowers of the Bunny Ear Cactus are typically bright yellow. The blooms are relatively small, often about 3-4 cm (1-1.5 inches) in diameter. They have a simple, daisy-like appearance with numerous petals.
Scientific name: Rebutia spp.
Other common names: None specific to Rebutia, but it’s a type of cactus.
Botanical family: Cactaceae
Appearance:
These small cacti often have spines on their rounded bodies. Rebutia cacti produce small, colorful flowers that can range in color from shades of red, orange, pink, and even white. It is a small spiky houseplant that can grow up to 10 – 20 cm (4 – 8 in).
The flowers are typically tubular and are about 2-3 cm (0.75-1.2 inches) in diameter.
Scientific name: Mammillaria spp.
Other common names: None specific to Mammillaria, but it’s a type of cactus.
Botanical family: Cactaceae
Appearance:
These spiky house plants have clusters of spines, and some are small enough for indoor cultivation. This is a small to medium-sized cactus that can grow up to 5 – 30 cm (2 – 12 in).
The flowers of Mammillaria cacti come in various colors, including shades of red, pink, yellow, and white. In terms of spiky indoor plant identification, these small cacti produce delicate, funnel-shaped flowers that are about 1-2 cm (0.4-0.8 inches) in diameter.
Scientific name: Ferocactus spp.
Other common names: None specific to Ferocactus, but it’s a type of barrel cactus
Botanical family: Cactaceae
Appearance:
Barrel cacti have cylindrical, ribbed stems with stout spines. It is a Medium to tall spiky houseplant that can grow up to 30 – 120 cm (12 – 48 in).
Barrel Cactus flowers are often brightly colored, with shades of yellow, orange, and red. The flowers are tubular and typically 3-5 cm (1.2-2 inches) in diameter. They can appear at the top of the cactus and can be quite striking.
Scientific name: Kalanchoe daigremontiana
Other common names: Mother of Thousands, Mother of Millions
Botanical family: Crassulaceae
Appearance:
This succulent has distinctive paddle-shaped leaves with tiny plantlets along the edges that can be prickly. It is a small spiky houseplant that can grow up to 20 – 30 cm (8 – 12 in).
The flowers are clustered in upright inflorescences and can reach about 1 cm (0.4 inches) in diameter.
These descriptions provide an overview of the typical flower characteristics for each of these plants, but it’s important to note that there can be variations in flower color and size among different species and varieties within each plant type.
Scientific name: Beaucarnea recurvata
Other common names: Elephant’s Foot, Bottle Palm
Botanical family: Asparagaceae
Appearance:
It has long, slender leaves with sharp tips that resemble a ponytail. In terms of spiky indoor plant identification, Ponytail palms have a bulbous base and slender, arching leaves. They can reach heights of 2 to 4 feet or more.
The ponytail palm occasionally produces small, fragrant, cream-colored flowers. The flowers are held on a long, slender stem that extends from the top of the plant’s bulbous base.
Scientific name: Yucca spp.
Other common names: Spanish Dagger, Adam’s Needle
Botanical family: Asparagaceae
Appearance:
Yucca plants have tall, sword-like leaves with sharp tips. These spiky house plants vary in size depending on the species. Some indoor varieties can reach heights of 2 to 3 feet, while larger outdoor varieties can grow much taller.
Yucca plants produce striking, upright flower spikes that can be quite tall. The flowers are typically white and bell-shaped, and they are often fragrant, especially in the evening.
Scientific name: Haworthia spp.
Other common names: Asphodelaceae (formerly Xanthorrhoeaceae)
Botanical family: Zebra Plant, Pearl Plant
Appearance:
Many Haworthia species have pointed spiky leaves. These spiky house plants are typically small, compact succulents that range from a few inches to about 8 inches in height, making them suitable for smaller indoor spaces.
Haworthia plants can produce slender, tubular flowers in various colours, including white, pink, or green.
The flowers are often small and may appear in clusters.
Scientific name: Euphorbia atropurpurea
Other common names: None specific to Euphorbia atropurpurea, but it’s a type of crown euphorbia.
Botanical family: Euphorbiaceae
Appearance:
This succulent has sharp spines along its stem. Crown Euphorbia is a relatively compact to medium-sized plant. It typically reaches heights of about 30 to 60 centimeters (12 to 24 inches). This size makes it suitable for indoor or outdoor cultivation in various gardening settings.
The flowers are small, cup-shaped, and inconspicuous. The plant’s visual appeal comes primarily from the colorful bracts that surround the flowers. These bracts can be vibrant shades of red, pink, or white, creating an attractive contrast with the plant’s thorny green stems and leaves.
Here I want to teach you an easy way about spiky indoor plant identification. Are you familiar with houseplant identifiers? They are free online tools that can identify your intended plant with its image, thanks to them!
The “House plant identifier” is one of the best free online plant identification tools working with it is very easy and can detect indoor plants, trees, flowers, and ornamental and wild plants in only 2 seconds with high accuracy. It also can detect plant diseases.
Hence, to identify your spiky houseplant, you must take an online picture of your plant (or upload it from your gallery) and click on the start button, finished!
In this article, I tried to help you in terms of spiky indoor plant identification. I provided you with spiky houseplant names and images. I also introduced one of the best free online tools for plant identification. What was the name of your intended plant? Did you find it in the above list? Please tell us about your experience of plant identifiers below this page.
Hi, I’m Elaheh. My Academic major is plant protection, and houseplants are my expertise. As a houseplant lover, my house is full of indoor plants and it is my passion to take care of them. Hence, I’m here to share my knowledge and experience about growing healthy houseplants. I am also a plant protection advisor, so feel free to ask me any questions you may have.