A regular, classic peace lily, has dark green, oval-shaped leaves and white flowers called spathes. However, several variegated varieties exist, where different white patterns adorn the green leaves.
You might also have seen or heard of so-called red or pink peace lilies. However, this is an anthurium. While not a true peace lily, anthuriums are closely related and make a great companion plant.
Finally, you might experience green flowers, black spots, or yellow or brown leaves on your peace lily. These are all signs that something is off with your plant. Maybe it is time to reevaluate your peace lily care routine?
Classic Peace Lilies
Your classic peace lily is a beautiful and elegant plant. Its popularity as a house plant is in part because its understated colors will rarely clash with your home décor.
The plant exhibits lush, glossy dark-green foliage and frequently blooms with white flowers.
However, peace lilies come in many varieties, some of them with white or light-green patterns on the leaves.
Variegated Peace Lilies
If you are looking for something a bit more rare or intricate, you can opt for a variegated peace lily, such as the Domino, the Picasso, or the White Stripe Peace Lily.
You can identify a domino peace lily by its white splashes of variegation across its leaves. The variegation differs and is unpredictable, but generally, it resembles tiny flecks of white paint.
The Picasso peace lily got its name because it can resemble the signature style of the famous painter. It has large, mismatched white splotches across its leaves, often with the variegation covering entire leaves.
The white stripe peace lily also received its name for a reason! It sports a single white stripe running down the middle of each leaf. Another difference from other varieties is the matte finish, as opposed to the typical glossy finish of peace lilies.
Red Or Pink Peace Lilies
If you crave colors other than white and green, you might be on the lookout for a red peace or pink peace lily. This plant is called an anthurium and is sometimes referred to as a flamingo flower.
Anthuriums and peace lilies look similar and are closely related – since both are aroids and part of the Araceae family – but they are in fact different plants.
Besides the different colors of the flowers, you can find some minute differences in the shapes. Peace lily leaves are oval, while anthurium leaves are rounder, similar to a heart shape. The flowers of the peace lily tend to rise above the leaves of the plant, while anthurium flowers mix in between the leaves.
The great news is, that these plants can grow as companion plants, as they have very similar care requirements. This is a great way to add some color to your house plants or outside landscape.
What If My Peace Lily Has Green Flowers Or Brown And Yellow Spots?
Before and after blooming, your peace lilies flowers will have a greenish taint. This is natural and healthy. However, if your plant’s flowers never turn from green to white, it’s a sign something is wrong.
First of all, make sure:
- You don’t over-fertilize
- You don’t expose your plant to too much direct sunlight
- Remember to prune the old, dying flowers and leaves
You can read more about peace lilies and green flowers here.
Black and brown spots and yellow leaves are common peace lily problems. It is – again – a sign that your care routine is lacking something.
To begin the troubleshooting, the most common causes are:
- Overwatering or underwatering your plant
- Too much direct sunlight or no light at all
- Too much or too little fertilizer
You can read more about it here.
Final Words
Peace lilies are known for dark green leaves and white flowers. If you find one with elaborate white patterns, you have found yourself a variegated variety.
Anthuriums are closely related plants, that look very similar, except for their red or pink flowers.
If your peace lily has, permanent green flowers, black spots, or yellow or brown leaves, it is a sign something is wrong with your plant and you should start troubleshooting, so you can fix the problem.