Half Your Houseplants Are Aroids
Monsteras, pothos, philodendrons, anthuriums, peace lilies, alocasias, syngoniums — all one family: Araceae, the aroids. They evolved on tropical forest floors in low light and high humidity, which is why they thrive in living rooms.
Beyond aroids, the surprises multiply. Jade plants, aloe, and string of pearls are all succulents but from three unrelated families — Crassulaceae, Asphodelaceae, and Asteraceae (making string of pearls a relative of daisies). They evolved water-storing leaves independently. Ferns predate flowering plants by 200 million years and still reproduce via spores.
The snake plant was recently moved from Sansevieria to Dracaena based on DNA. The ZZ plant is an aroid despite looking nothing like a monstera. 83 houseplants — the evolutionary stories sitting quietly on your windowsill.
Did you know?
- *Monsteras, pothos, philodendrons, peace lilies, and ZZ plants all belong to the same family, Araceae, despite looking very different from each other.
- *Snake plants were reclassified from the genus Sansevieria into Dracaena in 2017 based on molecular phylogenetic evidence.
- *The string of pearls succulent is in the daisy family, Asteraceae, making it a relative of sunflowers and lettuce.
- *Ferns predate flowering plants by roughly 200 million years and reproduce using spores instead of seeds or flowers.
- *Pothos and philodendron are often confused but belong to different tribes within the aroid family, having diverged millions of years ago.
What is GuessKin?
GuessKin is a free daily guessing game built on real-world taxonomy. Choose from over 20 categories and try to identify the mystery houseplant. Each guess reveals how closely related your answer is to the target through a shared classification tree.
How does it work?
Every houseplant in GuessKin sits on a taxonomy tree — a branching hierarchy that shows how things are classified and related. When you make a guess, the game shows you the nearest common ancestor between your guess and the answer. The closer that ancestor is to the answer, the warmer you are. The tree visualization grows with each guess, narrowing down where the answer lives and helping you triangulate.
How to get the best score
- •Fewer guesses is better. The ideal game is guessing it in 1. Every guess counts against your score.
- •Speed matters too. The timer starts on your first guess. Quick, confident answers are rewarded.
- •Read the tree. Each guess gives you real taxonomic information. Pay attention to which branch the answer is on and which branches you've already ruled out.
- •Start broad, then narrow. Your first guess splits the tree. Pick something that gives you maximum information, then drill into the revealed branch.
Each GuessKin category uses a real classification system. These aren't made-up groupings — they're the same systems scientists and specialists actually use. New categories are added regularly. Every category is free, with no accounts and no ads.