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Plant care

Canna-Leaved Peace Lily (Canna Peace Lily) care

Spathiphyllum cannifolium

Also called Canna Peace Lily, Broad-Leaved Peace Lily.

RHS H1bUSDA 11-12Toxic to petsIndoor 60-100 cm tall indoors

Watering rhythm

7-12days

When the top 3-4 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 7-12 days

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Light

Low light (north window or shaded room)

Soil

Well-draining peat-free potting compost with added perlite

Humidity

45-65%

Temp

16-27°C

Pet safety

Toxic to pets

Mature size

60-100 cm tall indoors

Care at a glance

Light

Canna-Leaved Peace Lily is a useful plant for the room nobody else likes — the north-facing hallway, the basement office, the windowless bathroom with the ceiling LED. Tolerates genuinely low light, making it useful in office and interior settings. For reliable flowering and vigorous growth, medium indirect light is preferred. Avoid direct sun, which bleaches and scorches the wide leaves. Expect slow growth and pale new leaves; that's the cost of low light, not a sign anything is wrong.

Watering

Aim for when the top 3-4 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 7-12 days for canna-leaved peace lily, but treat that as a starting point rather than a rule. A south-facing summer windowsill will dry the pot twice as fast as a north-facing winter room. Lift the pot; if it feels noticeably lighter than it did wet, water it. Water thoroughly, allowing the compost to drain completely. The broad leaves are an early indicator of water stress, wilting noticeably when dry. Reduce frequency in winter. Avoid cold, hard tap water; allow tap water to stand overnight before use.

Soil and pot

Canna-Leaved Peace Lily grows best in well-draining peat-free potting compost with added perlite. Blend 70% peat-free multi-purpose compost with 30% perlite. The mix must drain freely to prevent root rot while holding adequate moisture for the plant's relatively high water needs during active growth. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Canna-Leaved Peace Lily sits happiest at around 45-65% humidity and 16-27°C (60-80°F). Tolerates moderate household humidity but performs best above 50%. Brown leaf edges in dry winter rooms are common. A pebble tray with water placed beneath the pot is an effective and low-maintenance solution. If you keep the room above 16 year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed canna-leaved peace lily sparingly. Feed with a balanced liquid fertiliser at half strength once a month from spring to early autumn. A high-phosphorus formula can be used every 6-8 weeks to encourage flowers. Do not fertilise in winter. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on canna-leaved peace lily in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

  • Brown leaf tips — Most often caused by fluoride in tap water or low humidity. Switch to rainwater or filtered water and raise ambient humidity.
  • No blooms — Usually caused by insufficient light. Move to a brighter location with indirect light and ensure the plant is not over-fed with nitrogen, which promotes leafy growth at the expense of flowers.
  • Root rot — Caused by consistently wet, poorly aerated soil. Repot into a fresh, well-draining mix and adjust watering frequency.
  • Pale or yellowing leaves — May signal nutrient deficiency or overwatering. Resume a regular feeding schedule in spring and check drainage.
  • Spider mites — Can attack in low-humidity conditions. Increase humidity and treat with insecticidal soap spray, covering leaf undersides thoroughly.

Companion plants

Canna-Leaved Peace Lily pairs well with Spathiphyllum cochlearispathum, Philodendron bipinnatifidum, and Heliconia psittacorum. These are species with similar light and water needs, so you can group them in the same room or on the same shelf and water as a batch.

Propagation

Divide clumps in spring when repotting, separating sections with at least 3-4 leaves and a portion of healthy roots. Pot individually in fresh compost and keep in a warm, humid location until re-established. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Canna-Leaved Peace Lily is toxic to pets. The ASPCA lists Spathiphyllum species as toxic to dogs and cats. Spathiphyllum cannifolium contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals throughout, causing oral irritation, drooling, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing if ingested by pets or humans. Keep out of reach of animals and children. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Canna-Leaved Peace Lily care — frequently asked questions

What is the common name for Spathiphyllum cannifolium?

Spathiphyllum cannifolium is most commonly called Canna-Leaved Peace Lily, but it is also known as Canna Peace Lily, Broad-Leaved Peace Lily. The names refer to the same species, so care instructions for Canna-Leaved Peace Lily apply identically to anything sold as Canna Peace Lily.

How much light does canna-leaved peace lily need?

Canna-Leaved Peace Lily grows best in low light (north window or shaded room). Tolerates genuinely low light, making it useful in office and interior settings. For reliable flowering and vigorous growth, medium indirect light is preferred. Avoid direct sun, which bleaches and scorches the wide leaves.

How often should I water canna-leaved peace lily?

Water canna-leaved peace lily when the top 3-4 cm of soil is dry, roughly every 7-12 days. Water thoroughly, allowing the compost to drain completely. The broad leaves are an early indicator of water stress, wilting noticeably when dry. Reduce frequency in winter. Avoid cold, hard tap water; allow tap water to stand overnight before use. The finger-test (or lifting the pot to feel its weight) beats a fixed weekly calendar because pot size, light, and season all change how fast the soil dries.

Is canna-leaved peace lily toxic to cats and dogs?

Canna-Leaved Peace Lily is toxic to pets. The ASPCA lists Spathiphyllum species as toxic to dogs and cats. Spathiphyllum cannifolium contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals throughout, causing oral irritation, drooling, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing if ingested by pets or humans. Keep out of reach of animals and children.

What USDA hardiness zone does canna-leaved peace lily grow in?

Canna-Leaved Peace Lily is rated for USDA zone 11-12 (indoor-only outside the tropics) and RHS hardiness H1b. Outside that range, grow it as a container plant that overwinters indoors before the first hard frost.

Canna-Leaved Peace Lily deep-dive guides

Every aspect of canna-leaved peace lily care, each with its own calibrated guide:

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Canna-Leaved Peace Lily qualifies for 2 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

Related guides

Canna-Leaved Peace Lily is also commonly called Canna Peace Lily or Broad-Leaved Peace Lily.