Houseplants
4,478 US plant patents cover houseplants, across 48 genera. 1,947 of them (43%) have already expired — those plants are in the public domain and anyone may propagate and sell them.
Genera in this group
| Genus | Patents | Free to propagate | Next to expire |
|---|---|---|---|
| Euphorbia | 640 | 391 | November 1, 2026 |
| Phalaenopsis | 516 | 21 | October 1, 2027 |
| Hibiscus | 419 | 124 | November 1, 2026 |
| Begonia | 415 | 175 | September 20, 2026 |
| Kalanchoe | 346 | 262 | December 1, 2026 |
| Saintpaulia | 305 | 304 | July 12, 2039 |
| Anthurium | 286 | 148 | September 30, 2026 |
| Caladium | 144 | 9 | December 29, 2026 |
| Spathiphyllum | 121 | 82 | October 13, 2026 |
| Coleus | 118 | 26 | November 12, 2029 |
| Guzmania | 95 | 62 | January 7, 2028 |
| Aglaonema | 91 | 53 | January 18, 2027 |
| Dracaena | 68 | 22 | January 12, 2027 |
| Sansevieria | 63 | 1 | January 23, 2032 |
| Ficus | 55 | 30 | February 26, 2027 |
| Vanda | 51 | 0 | December 30, 2030 |
| Neoregelia | 46 | 15 | September 1, 2027 |
| Streptocarpus | 46 | 37 | December 20, 2027 |
| Aloe | 43 | 0 | June 6, 2029 |
| Philodendron | 42 | 19 | May 14, 2027 |
| Cordyline | 38 | 8 | March 23, 2027 |
| Gardenia | 37 | 2 | October 30, 2027 |
| Peperomia | 36 | 2 | May 30, 2032 |
| Dieffenbachia | 34 | 27 | December 13, 2031 |
| Calathea | 33 | 15 | March 9, 2027 |
| Bougainvillea | 32 | 14 | January 11, 2027 |
| Vriesea | 32 | 13 | June 15, 2027 |
| Curcuma | 30 | 4 | April 12, 2027 |
| Alocasia | 25 | 0 | July 10, 2032 |
| Aechmea | 20 | 12 | December 20, 2027 |
| Ananas | 20 | 6 | June 26, 2028 |
| Zamioculcas | 20 | 0 | December 28, 2031 |
| Epipremnum | 18 | 0 | October 29, 2027 |
| Schefflera | 18 | 11 | March 7, 2032 |
| Tradescantia | 18 | 2 | August 2, 2028 |
| Rhipsalidopsis | 16 | 2 | February 22, 2029 |
| ×Doritaenopsis | 14 | 1 | February 8, 2027 |
| Plectranthus | 14 | 10 | June 14, 2033 |
| Solenostemon | 14 | 0 | June 1, 2027 |
| Dendrobium | 13 | 6 | July 11, 2027 |
| Haworthia | 13 | 0 | August 14, 2029 |
| Schlumbergera | 13 | 4 | April 14, 2028 |
| Nephrolepis | 12 | 6 | October 6, 2028 |
| Medinilla | 11 | 0 | June 30, 2031 |
| Syngonium | 10 | 9 | January 30, 2044 |
| Fittonia | 9 | 9 | — |
| Hippeastrum | 9 | 2 | October 2, 2030 |
| Tillandsia | 9 | 1 | July 11, 2027 |
Coming off patent next
- BegoniaSeptember 20, 2026
- AnthuriumSeptember 30, 2026
- SpathiphyllumOctober 13, 2026
- EuphorbiaNovember 1, 2026
- HibiscusNovember 1, 2026
- KalanchoeDecember 1, 2026
- CaladiumDecember 29, 2026
- BougainvilleaJanuary 11, 2027
- DracaenaJanuary 12, 2027
- AglaonemaJanuary 18, 2027
This grouping is ours, not the USPTO’s. A plant patent records a botanical genus; it never says “houseplant”. We group genus by genus, which means the grouping is only as good as that judgement — and a genus that spans two kinds appears under both. For the precise answer, use genus.
A patent expiring frees the plant, not the name. The cultivar name is always safe to use; a trade name may still be a live trademark. See what you may call it.