Safe Plants for Terrariums

[Ptindy]

Hey everyone, last night I got a crested gecko and I wanted to buy him a real tropical plant to place in the middle. I didn't want anything toxic so I head down to Sunnyside (a plant/outdoor landscaping/other stuff) here in Calgary and asked them. They gave me a whole list of safe, "nontoxic plants suitable for landscaping reptile and amphibian enclosures". I would like to share this whole list with this online community as I see many forums asking if a certain plant is safe or not and pretty broad one plant answers. Maybe a moderator could staple this topic to the top of the general enclosure or natuaral vivaria forums, that would be great. So here we go:

Abelia (Abelia grandiflora)
African Violet (Saintpaulia ionantha)
Sweet Alyssum (Allyssum species)
Asperagus Fern (Aperagus setaceus plumosis)
Aster (Aster species)
Baby Tears (Helxine soleirolii)
Bird's Nest Fern (Asplenium nidus)
Boston Fern (Nephrolepsis exalta)
Bottle Brush (Callistemom)
Bouganvillea (Bouganvillea)
Bridal Veil (Tripogandra multiflora)
Bromeliads (Aechmea; Bilbergia; Cryptanthus)
Cactus, spineless (Astrophytum)
Camellia (Camellia japonica)
Coleus (Coleus)
Corn Plant (Dracaena Fragrans)
**Creeping Charlie (Pilea nummulariifolia)
**DO NOT CONFUSE ABOVE WITH !!!!Glecoma heteracea!!!!
Croton (Codiaeum species)
Dracaena (Dracaena species)
Emerald Ripple (Peperomia caperata)
Eugenia (Peperomia caperata)
Fuschia (Fuschia)
Geranium (Pelargonium species)
Hen and Chicks Succulent (Echeveria)
Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)
Hoya (Hoya exotica)
Iceplant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum)
Impatiens (Impatiens)
Jade Plant (Crassula argentea)
Japanese Aralia (Fatsia japonica)
Jasmine (Jasminum officinale: J. grandifloum)
Lavender (Lavandula officinalis)
Marigold (Calendula officinalis)
Monkey Plant (Ruellia makoyana)
Mother of Pearl (Graptopetalum paraguayen)
Natal Plum (Carissa grandiflora)
Painted Nettle (Coleus)
Palms (Areca species)
Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana)
Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea elegans)
Peperomia (Peperomia caperata)
Petunia (Petunia)
Phoenix (Phoenix roebelenii)
Piggyback Plant (Tolmiea menziesii)
Pilea (Pilea species)
Pink Polka-Dot Plant (H. ypoestes sang.)
Ponytail Plant (Beaucarnea recurvata)
Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura)
Purple Passion: Purple Velvet (Gynura)
Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
Staghorn Fern (Platycerium bifurcatum)
Swedish Ivy (Plectranthus australis)
Tree Mallow (Lavatera assurgentiflora)
**Umbrella Plant (Eriogonum umbrellum)
**DO NOT CONFUSE ABOVE WITH !!!!Scheffiera actinophylla!!!!
Velvet Plant (Gynura aurantaca)
Wandering Jew (Tradescantia albiflora)
Warneckii (Dracaena deremensis)
Wax Plant (Hoya exotica)
Zebra Plant (Calathea zebrina)
Zinnias (Zinnia species)

AND WE'RE DONE, man my fingers hurt. Anyways, hope this helps some people out. I figured i'd try to give a bit to this site as I have learned A LOT from it. Thanks everyone.

Mike

[Shad0w]

Pothos is not included????

[Shad0w]

BTW.. thanks for the list :)

[Ptindy]

Np Shadow. Pothos? It must be on it somewhere. I just typed what I saw.

Mike

[Invictus]

Whether plants are safe and whether they are a good idea are 2 different things. I can't imagine trying to clean reptile poop off of real plants. But, to each their own. I'll stick with fake plants. :)

[Shad0w]

Yea but they really help with humidity and overall air quality in the terrarium

[Brock]

Reptile poop is pretty easy to clean from leaves, because the leaves are usually smoother than silk plants, which are porous. The best plant to use in a vivarium is moss. Man I love moss. I just use wild moss, shake it out (dont break it though), and soak it under water for 24 hours to drown anything or make them float to the top. Moss is best for humidity and one of the most amazing substrates. Good bacteria in it to decompose poop too, and keeps the soil moist so you dont have to water as much.

-Brock