Spider plant

Clorophytum comosum, also known as spider plant or ribbon plant, is an evergreen plant that belongs to the family of Liliacee and is native to southern Africa. The name derives from the Greek words, chloròs green and phytòn plant. The spider plant belongs to a list of plants studied by NASA in the ‘70s for their beneficial effects on the microclimate, in particular for their ability to reduce the pollution by absorbing many toxic substances. If you place the clorophytum in a room it is able to absorb the 96% of the carbon monoxide and the 86% of formaldehyde. These properties of the spider plant are very important, because both the formaldehyde and the carbon monoxide are toxic substances, that are able to damage health but that can be easily found in houses. Formaldehyde, that has been classified as carcinogenic, is released by cigarette smoke but also by paints and varnishes, solvents, plywood, detergents, deodorants and disinfectants. For what concerns carbon monoxide, this is an odorless, colorless and toxic gas, it forms due to an incomplete combustion, namely when the percentage of oxygen in the air becomes lower and it is no longer enough to produce a complete combustion. This gas is lighter than air and tends to stay in the rooms, it can diffuse in other rooms and can penetrate in walls and floors. The carbon monoxide is a problem especially when it is cold, the heating is indeed switched on, stoves and chimneys are working and release carbon monoxide, that can increase if there are malfunctions. In addition to this, when it is cold, the windows remain often closed, and, when we open them for some air, the air from outside is polluted due to the car exhaust gas. For this reason it may occur that the house has a high amount of carbon monoxide but the spider plant can play an important role in removing a very high percentage of this substance. In addition to this the spider plant is also a beautiful plant and requires low maintenance, it loves the light but also the direct sun but it is better to protect the plant during summer because it should not be exposed to temperature above 26°C. The watering is abundant in the hottest months while it should be reduced during the cold months, but be careful that the soil hasn’t to dry.