A List of Green Plants

Plants are green because they contain chlorophyll, which absorbs and reflects light, creating energy for the plant's growth. Knowing about some of the many different green plants that grow throughout the world gives you the ability to either grow them on your own or to simply expand your knowledge of botany and photosynthesis.

Aloe Vera

A member of the lily family, aloe vera is related to such plants as tulips, day lilies and asparagus. It's a green, succulent plant that is characterized by its thick, pulpy and spiny blades. Aloe is native to Africa and thrives in warm, dry climates with direct sunlight; however, it also thrives as a windowsill plant in many climates as it features a versatile root structure. Growing aloe vera doesn't only offer you deep-green ornamental accent. It also serves as a medicinal plant that is effective in soothing scrapes, burns and insect bites. Aloe vera thrives in many zones for differing amounts of time, but it grows all year-round when planted in USDA hardiness zone 10.

Daphne Odora

An evergreen shrub, the daphne odora plant produces deep, waxy green foliage. It's ordinarily grown as an ornamental plant that thrives in cool temperate climates throughout the winter season. It prefers partial shade in a woodland or cottage garden as a border plant. During the spring season, it produces purplish pink blossoms, which are aromatic and provide splashes of feminine color amidst the evergreen backdrop of foliage. Once the petals of the small frilly blossoms drop, the plant produces small toxic berries. It is hardy in zones 6, 7 and 8.

Sphagnum Moss

Sphagnum, or peat, moss thrives in bogs and marshlands throughout the world; although it thrives densely in European regions. It's a green, fluffy moss that lends to use in gardens as a mulch and growing medium for a wide range of plants. This makes it a useful moss as opposed to an invasive type and it is commercially harvested and sold in garden and hardware shops. In addition to peat's use as a gardening medium, when used dry it serves as an effective kindling for fire starting. It prefers partial shade and very wet growing conditions. It grows in USDA hardiness zones 2 through 6.