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Hyacinthaceae etc.) Chlorophyllum comosum (spider plant) is an extreamly easy and tolerant plant.

Nolinaceae or Ruscaceae (Beaucarnea) There is only one common member, Beaucarnea recurvata (pony tail palm). This looks like a Dracena with a swollen base and eventually grows into a large pachycaule or caudiciform tree. It tolerates a wide range of lighting conditions and drought but does grow very large!

Oxalidaceae (Oxalis) O. carnosa is an exotic looking plant with tuberous roots, narly stems, clover leaves and yellow flowers. This is deceptive because it's pretty much a weed and tends to seed itself around, proving its tolerance for a wide range of conditions. Only tolerates light frost.

You probably now realize that the selection of indestructible plants is bigger than you thought. Remember you can always experiment and observe your plants. If they become elongated it's too dark, if they turn mushy at the base they're probably too wet (you'll have to cut the top off and re-root it) etc. Try to figure out what's going wrong. If you're afraid of spending your money on plants that are going to die, you can buy things from garage sales (usually a sign that they've survived neglect) or find plants that people want to get rid of. Many of these plants can be easily raised from seeds and/or cuttings. Try those Chorophyllum cuttings or Echinopsis seedlings in different rooms or composts. Once you get some easy plants growing, you may even want to try something more challenging.

Learn more about this author, Richard Pearman.
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