Looking for the perfect gift for a white elephant gift exchange and want it to be plant-themed? You’re in the right place! Pursue this expert-curated list of best white elephant gifts, and you’ll find the best plant gifts for this exorbitant celebration. 

From moisture meters that literally screams when your plant needs to be watered, to a life-size replica of your favorite carnivorous plant, there’s sure to be a wacky plant gift that grabs your attention.

Looking for serious gifts? Check out our list of Best 15 Gifts for Plant Parents!

Of course, this list is meant as COMEDY and we don’t recommend actually gifting anyone these… unless the recipient is really special, and it’s the perfect match! As a sustainable small business, we believe it’s important to reduce waste and gift thoughtfully, for white elephant gift exchanges and all kinds of purchases. 

Without further ado, let’s go!

Corpse Plant (Amorphophallus titanum)

The perfect white elephant gift because:

While this plant may take over ten years to flower and will emit a pungent aroma while doing so, botanists have long adored this endangered and captivating bloom. It regularly grows to over eight feet tall in captivity and is actually relatively easy to care for. The corpse flower can grow up to 12 feet tall in its natural habitat, Western Sumatra, Indonesia.

Where to Buy:

This one might be tricky. You could try your luck reaching out to the most reputable growers such as the United States Botanical Garden or the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens. You may also try your luck on eBay or Etsy, or charter your own flight to Indonesia to scope one out for yourself.

Bottom Line: 

The ultimate plant to gift any botanist with anosmia and lots of patience.

Screaming Plant Moisture Meter

The perfect white elephant gift because:

Keep forgetting to water your plants? Do your new plant friends end up looking a little crusty after a few weeks at your place? No more! Try a screaming plant moisture meter, and you’ll never be able to ignore your thirsty plants ever again. And, people seem to love it on TikTok.

Where to Buy:

Uh oh, not so fast! It’s far from the hardest one to acquire on this list, but you’ll need a bit of elbow grease. You can buy chirp! here at wemakethings, or check out this tutorial on Hackster or this one on Autodesk.

Bottom Line:

Perfect for DIY lovers who just keep forgetting to water plants! But seriously, give PlantDoc a try if you’re looking for a eye-catching and easy plant moisture meter.

Plant Friends

The perfect white elephant gift because:

Even wish houseplants had eyes and personalities? Give your plant some cute company. There’s so many to choose from, but these phosphorescent fellas captured our hearts.

And by that, I mean that the author is still haunted by their cute, soulless eyes that the author knows mean know harm. But haunt they still.

The real questions are: 

1. Do these glow in the dark?
2. Will my friends find it funny if I hide these in their homes at night?

Where to Buy:

NiOuiNinouche on Etsy handmakes phosphorescent mushroom plant spikes as well as colorful plant spikes.

Bottom Line:

Personality!

AI Plant Identifier 

The perfect white elephant gift because:

Hear us out… for now, AI is a little overhyped and we can still laugh at its mistakes and brazen confidence until it takes over the world. For now, AI for plants is hit or miss.

A fun game we’ve devised is having the app scan our faces or other non-plant objects and seeing what it makes of them. Like the Harry Potter sorting hat. For example, it calls me a “Burning Bush” plant. I’ll take it! It’s a gorgeous plant. I wonder how Plant AI apps would identify you and your friends?

Where to Buy:

Many free and cheap AI plant identifiers are to be had right on your phone’s app store. Plantum offers the most entertainment, whereas iNaturalist and Pl@ntNet seem to be actually getting somewhere in terms of accuracy.

Bottom Line:

A very affordable and unpredictable laugh! 

 

Audrey 2 from “Little Shop of Horrors” Replica

The perfect white elephant gift because:

When you think of cute, does a baby Audrey 2 come to mind?! This small but impressive plant looks great on any surface of your home!!

This plant doesn’t need water or sunlight, perfect for those who can’t keep a plant alive…just whatever you do…don’t give it blood!

Audrey 2 is a poseable plant that will surely be a most peculiar item in your home! It’s hand-sculpted from clay and foam rubber, and is hand painted!

Where to Buy:

MysteriousEmporium on Etsy handmakes adorable large and small and even smaller replicas of Aubrey 2. 

Bottom Line:

Ok, this might actually be a great plant gift for theater nerds and halloween fanatics!

 

In Conclusion...

We hope you had as much fun reading this as we did writing! 

Check out our list of Best 15 Gifts for Plant Parents for more great houseplant-themed giving ideas.