+7 plants that produce oxygen at night

When night falls, the vast majority of plants enter a state of rest; some, like those of the genus Albizia, even fold their leaves giving us the impression that they are sleeping. But although they do not have a nervous system like ours, they do have a suitable circadian rhythm for the day-night. Consequently, and as they depend on light to carry out a process as important as photosynthesis and, also, to grow, they react to light stimuli, both when they are there and when they are missing.

But not all of them photosynthesize at the same time, and consequently, not all of them expel oxygen at the same time. For this reason, we will see which are the plants that produce oxygen at night.

Selection of plants that produce oxygen at night

The first thing to know is that all plants produce oxygen, for the simple reason that all of them photosynthesize to live. But not all of them do it at night. In fact, only plants with CAM metabolism expel oxygen when there is no light.

Thus, we are going to show you those that can be grown indoors without problems, and that also remain healthy almost without giving them much care:

Aloe vera (Aloe)

The Aloe vera it is a crass plant with lanceolate and fleshy leaves, up to 50 centimeters long, and light green in color. It adapts well to the interior of the home, being able to live in rooms where there is a lot of light. Due to its size, it grows well in a pot, and it will only need two or three transplants in its lifetime.

Crassula perforated (Crassula perforated)

The Crassula perforated It is a plant with stems that start out straight but tend to prostrate over the years. It reaches a height of 45 centimeters, and its leaves arise from the same stem. These are green and fleshy. Being a kind of the most curious, inside the house it will look great as long as it is put in a place where there is clarity.

Phalaenopsis (Butterfly Orchid)

Orchids of the genus Phalaenopsis They are epiphytic plants that live on tree branches in their natural habitat. When grown, they are kept in clear plastic pots, often with pine bark as a substrate, so their roots can photosynthesize without problem. Indoors they need high humidity, but also regular waterings (when the white roots are visible).

Pyrrosia longifolia

It is an epiphytic fern that, as its surname indicates, has long leaves, up to 40-50 centimeters. They are green in color, and it is a plant that we can find growing on the branches of trees. Therefore, it is ideal to have in hanging potsbut it is important that you spray it with water daily during the summer if the humidity of the environment is low.

portulaca grandiflora (Flower purslane)

The portulaca grandiflora It is a plant that we recommend to have at the entrance of the house or in the kitchen. It is not edible, but it needs a lot of light, hence it is necessary to find an area where there is light. But in addition, it reaches a height of only 20 centimeters, but it has yellow or white pink flowers up to 2 centimeters in diameter in spring-summer.

Russian pillow (Mat)

The succulent known as mat It is a small plant, reaching a height of 20 centimeters and a diameter of 30-35 centimeters. It develops more or less straight and branched stems from the base, from which glaucous green leaves sprout. It produces purple flowers about a centimeter in diameter in spring. It requires few waterings, as well as a light exposure.

Everlasting roofs (Always alive)

The Everlasting roofs It is a succulent that rarely exceeds 4 centimeters in height, but when forming groups it can measure up to 30 centimeters or more in diameter. It has green rosette-shaped leaves. It looks very nice in low and wide potssince it produces multiple suckers.

How do plants make oxygen?

The plants, during photosynthesistake advantage of the light energy of the sun, the carbon dioxide that they absorb through their pores (also called stomata) and the water transported from their roots to, Through a series of chemical reactions, transform all this into sugars such as glucose.

As a consequence of this process, plants expel oxygen that we use both animals (and humans) and plants themselves to breathe. But, although we all breathe 24 hours a day, the vast majority of plants expel oxygen during the day as they photosynthesize.

Only CAM plants do it at night. The reason is that they live in regions where it rains so little and the temperatures are so high, that they have to avoid the loss of water as much as possible. And it is that to breathe water is inevitably lost, so what they do is keep their pores closed during the day, to open them at night which is when they can expel oxygen.

What are the CAM plants? Well, we have seen some of them already. But if you want to know more names, write down:

The vast majority of CAM plants belong to the family Crassulaceae, which are one of the most popular in succulent gardens and collections. In general, they have to be placed in sunny places, with well-drained soil, and watered occasionally, allowing said soil to dry between waterings.

We hope that you have liked our selection of plants that produce oxygen at night, and that you are encouraged to grow them.