Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Fire Flash Spider Plant (Chlorophytum orchidastrum)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Fire Flash, Green Orange Chlorophytum, Mandarin Plant, Tangerine Spider Plant.

More about fire flash spider plant

About Fire Flash Spider Plant

Chlorophytum orchidastrum · also called Fire Flash, Green Orange Chlorophytum · houseplant

Fire Flash Spider Plant is a bold tropical African species grown for its broad, dark green leaves with vivid orange midribs and petioles — an unusual splash of warm color. Unlike the common spider plant it does not produce trailing plantlets. ASPCA lists Chlorophytum as non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Cold limit: USDA 10-11 (indoor-only in temperate climates) · RHS H1c (16-27°C)

Watch for — Slow growth in winter: Normal dormancy response. Reduce watering and feeding until days lengthen in spring.

What fire flash spider plant's hardiness rating actually means

Fire Flash Spider Plant is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1c means: Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10-11 (indoor-only in temperate climates) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Fire Flash Spider Plant has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for fire flash spider plant as it gets too cold:

Below about about 5 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can fire flash spider plant go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when fire flash spider plant can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Fire Flash Spider Plant hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is fire flash spider plant cold hardy?

Fire Flash Spider Plant is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Fire Flash Spider Plant can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-11 (indoor-only in temperate climates)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature fire flash spider plant can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Fire Flash Spider Plant has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is fire flash spider plant?

Fire Flash Spider Plant is rated USDA 10-11 (indoor-only in temperate climates) and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can fire flash spider plant survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to fire flash spider plant below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 5 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.