9 Tropical Plants With White Flowers

Tropical white flowers can complement other blooms in tropical gardens filled with bold foliage and vivid flowers of every imaginable hue. White flowers can also make an elegant statement on their own. While white is sometimes underestimated, boring is far from an accurate descriptor for these plants.

Just as the white walls of a gallery allow their hung artwork to pop, white flowers can have a similar effect in the garden. When planted alone, these flowers contrast with shades of green foliage and create a classic garden look.

Whether towering above other plants, creeping along trellises and fences, or filling in empty spaces, there’s something for every tropical garden or indoor jungle. In this list, we’ve hand-picked our favorite tropical plants with white flowers and how to care for them.

White Bird of Paradise 

	botanical name Strelitzia alba
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 18 feet tall x 5-6 feet wide
	hardiness zones 9-11
	soil needs Moist, well-draining, and nutrient-rich

Strelitzia alba, a striking tropical plant with white flowers, resembles a dove with white petals emerging from dark purple spathes. Appearing in a mass of big banana-leaf-like foliage, it’s hard not to see an army of birds! 

Compared to the common orange variety, S. reginae, S. alba grows much larger, with a potential height of 18 feet. Its leaves can reach four feet long, and flowers grow up to a foot long. Going even bigger, the giant variety Strelitzia nicolai can grow up to 30 feet tall.   

While full sun will provide the most blooms, Strelitzia can tolerate a bit of shade, making it a great houseplant option in non-tropical climates. 

White Frangipani

	botanical name Plumeria alba
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 20-25 feet tall x 15-25 feet wide
	hardiness zones 10-12
	soil needs Well-draining and rich, prefers moderately moist to dry soil

Perfect for full-sun spots, the iconic frangipani is perhaps the most well-known tropical flower. Though native to the Caribbean, they’re used as leis in Hawai’i and have deep cultural significance in Hindu and Buddhist religions. P. alba flowers have five thick white petals with a yellow center clumped together on the ends of branches, emitting a decadent, tropical fragrance.

You can overwinter Frangipani, but it needs full sun. Alternatively, you can induce dormancy by placing it near a window and ceasing watering during the winter months.

White Bougainvillea

	botanical name Bougainvillea ‘Singapore White’
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 4 feet tall x 4 feet wide
	hardiness zones 9-12
	soil needs Sandy or loamy soils with good drainage and dry

Seen crawling walls and trellises in Mediterranean and tropical climates, Bougainvillea is another iconic tropical flower. While common in bright colors, the papery flowers of the white bougainvillea stun when contrasted with a dark trellis or wall. Often sold under the trade name ‘Miss Alice,’ ‘Singapore White’ is a dwarf variety with a reduced thorn count. This variety looks great in hanging baskets or placed on top of an outdoor wall and allowed to trail.

Bougainvilleas do best in the same environments as the Frangipani – full sun and dry soil promote prolific blooming year-round. However, they can be coaxed into dormancy if overwintering indoors is needed. 

Moonflower 

	botanical name Ipomoea alba
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 10-30 feet tall x 3-6 feet wide
	hardiness zones 10-12
	soil needs Well-draining clay, silt, or sand

Named the moonflower for its unique nighttime blooming, this vine’s large white flowers open in the late afternoon, attracting nighttime pollinators like moths. A prolific climber with a sweet fragrance, the moonflower is beautifully showcased on trellises, fences, or other surfaces with full sun. With its sweet fragrance, it’s perfect near a patio where the nighttime blooms can be appreciated. 

Perennial in tropical areas, the moonflower is a fast-growing annual in cooler climates. Start I. alba from seed 6-8 weeks before transplanting when temperatures are safely above 60°F (16°C).

Peace Lily 

	botanical name Spathiphyllum wallisii
	sun requirements Partial shade
	height 1-6 feet tall x 1-5 feet wide
	hardiness zones 11-12
	soil needs Moist (but never wet) with high organic matter content

The peace lily is a showy focal point with creamy white spathes that contrast with broad, deep green leaves. Their tropical leaves pair well with the delicate fronds of a maidenhair fern or the variegated foliage of a prayer plant or pothos. 

Unlike most flowering plants, Spathiphyllum blooms in full shade with nutrient-rich soil, making them an excellent houseplant species. With over 40 species of Spathiphyllum to choose from, S. wallisii is a great houseplant for smaller spaces with its manageable size.

Mangrove Spiderlily

	botanical name Hymenocallis latifolia
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-3 feet tall x 2-4 feet wide
	hardiness zones 10-11
	soil needs Moist to wet soil rich with organic matter

The unique Mangrove spider lily is a funky option for boggy areas and water gardens with full sun exposure. The spider lily’s stamens protrude upward, and its slender petals curve downward to mimic—you guessed it—a spider.

The delicate white flowers add a stark contrast to the long, sturdy leaves. Evergreen and native to the mangroves of south Florida, the best way to overwinter this plant is to dig up their rhizomes in fall to store for spring. 

Butterfly Ginger

	botanical name Hedychium coronarium
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 4-6 feet tall x 2-3 feet wide
	hardiness zones 7-10
	soil needs Well-draining, moist, and tolerant of occasional wet soil

Named for its large butterfly-shaped creamy white flowers, this ornamental ginger is great outdoors in dappled sunlight or mildly shaded areas and typically blooms in late summer. It’s a great cut flower with a slightly spicy fragrance reminiscent of gardenia, jasmine, and coconut. These flowers are also a favorite pollinator for ants, so make sure to shake them well before bringing them indoors. 

Butterfly Ginger is slightly hardier than other tropicals and can survive a zone 7 winter if rhizomes are protected from freezing temperatures. If your winters get colder than this, overwinter them by removing the rhizomes from the soil in fall and storing until spring. They’re also known as a “pass along” plant because their rhizomes can be divided and given to friends (or anyone else who loves their delightful fragrance).   

Angel’s Trumpet

	botanical name Brugmansia ‘Cypress Gardens,’ Brugmansia x candida ‘Shredded White’
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-8 feet tall x 2-4 feet wide
	hardiness zones 8-10
	soil needs Moist, well-drained, and well-fertilized

Named Angel’s Trumpet for its large, fragrant hanging flowers that resemble upside-down trumpets, B. arborea is a showoff tree for the tropical garden. Other species of white Brugmansia include Brugmansia x candida ‘Shredded White,’ a hybrid Angel’s Trumpet with twisty tendrils and divided petals, giving it a unique shredded look.

The more traditional Brugmansia ‘Cypress Gardens’ is a great option for containers. It blooms younger than other Brugmansias (most require 3-5 feet of growth to bloom) with prolific white blooms fading to a pale salmon color with age.

During their blooming season, they’re heavy feeders and need fertilization at least twice a month. In winter, leave them outside in tropical areas or bring them in to overwinter in cooler climates. The best way to overwinter Brugmansia is to place it in a sunny spot or allow it to go dormant in a cool, low-light area and reduce watering.  

Hardy Hibiscus ‘Luna White’

	botanical name Hibiscus moscheutos
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 2-6 feet tall x 2-5 feet wide
	hardiness zones 4-9
	soil needs Moist and occasionally wet and rich in organic matter

No tropical plant list could be complete without a mention of hibiscus. With hundreds of species worldwide, the hardy hibiscus (also known as rose mallow) grows in climates from Florida to Canada. While not technically tropical, it’s great for gardeners who want a tropical look but don’t want to overwinter indoors.

Hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees are attracted to the red center of the saucer-shaped flowers of ‘Luna White.’