Turns Out, The Most Popular Plant In Your State Is The Same As All the Other Ones

Fifty states in the U.S. means 50 unique places that are similar in some aspects, and polar opposites in others. Just because two states nuzzle next to each other on the map doesn’t mean they’re twinning IRL. For example, we discovered that the most popular interior design style in Washington state is eclectic, while its neighbor Oregon enjoys the minimalist way of life.

Since we’re such big plant people here at Apartment Therapy (and we know you are, too!), we were curious as to what the most searched houseplants for every state in 2019 might be so far. Google came to our aid and sent us the results. Sure, we expected to be surprised by a few states, but we didn’t expect at all what was coming: the choice was unanimous across the board. It was… aloe vera.  

Yes, it’s true: aloe ranked as the most searched houseplant in each and every state across America. We wondered if there was a way that people could be searching for aloe gel instead of the plant, but Google assured us that that search behavior was pulled out. So then, the question remained: why is aloe vera the most popular plant all across the country?

There’s no denying that there are some wonderful benefits to the succulent. Aloe vera is proven to be a natural air purifier. It can create oxygen while filtering toxins that are released by many household staples, from plastics and detergents to even carpets and furniture. Also, its leaves contain a clear gel that can help heal burns, cuts, and rashes by snipping it and peeling off the skin.

But beyond the medicinal benefits, there’s a chance that aloe vera’s popularity spike might be an outcome of the succulent craze that has gone countrywide, especially in recent years. Will Creed, a professional indoor plant consultant/educator and owner of Horticultural Help, says that succulents have had a longstanding popularity over the last 30 to 40 years, but its recent surge might be explained by humanistic behavior.

“Succulents are popular because they’re fairly easy to take care of, they’re relatively small, and you don’t have to have a spacious apartment for a succulent,” says Creed. “They propagate very easily, so people can get a plant themselves, then get some baby plants that they remove and they can give them away to friends. Then people will probably go on Google and go, ‘how do I take care of an aloe vera now that I have one?’” And that’s where the search comes into play.

However, Creed doesn’t recommend giving plants as a gift to someone—even an easier plant like a succulent—unless you know they are knowledgeable about plants or eager to have a particular breed. “It can become a burden and then on top of that, when a person tries to take care of a plant and it doesn’t do well…‘oh my god, that person who gave me that plant is coming over next week. What have I done?!’ It’s a living thing, not a piece of furniture.”

So now you know the most searched-for houseplant across the country! Will you be next to jump on the aloe vera bandwagon?