I recently was given this plant following a funeral and am no plant expert at all. I believe it is a house plant. Can anybody help me out with an ID?
I agree, and yes you can grow them as a house plant. They will even bloom indoors (something a lot of flowering plants won't do) I've had one inside for years and it blooms regularly.
Keep your peace lily away from direct sun which can burn the leaves. They like bright indirect light. When the top inch or two starts to feel almost dry but not dried out, soak the soil real good and get rid of the excess in the saucer. They like semi moist soil, not sopping wet, or dried out, it's a little bit of a balancing act. Keep the plant on the pot bound side. If the pots too big, all that excess soil can stay too wet. Feed lightly in the spring and summer. I like to use 1/2 recommended or less strength liquid fertilizer. You really want to avoid those fertilizer sticks. When up against the roots, they can burn them because they can take so long to desinagrate. Sometimes the tips can brown but that's pretty normal if you have hard water or it's staying too wet or dry. Low humidity can also be a factor, but it's no big deal really. Use bottled or rain water if you like.
Great responses. Just one addition. The "flower" is not a "flower". It is a spathe and spadix since the plant is a member of the family Araceae (aroids). Aroids all produce an inflorescence known as a spathe from where the common name "Spath" originates as well as from the scientific name. That spathe is simply a modified leaf produced for the purpose of reproduction. The true flowers are located on the spadix at the center of the inflorescence, both male and female and they are tiny. In most aroid species they grow in clusters and are sometimes divided clearly into male and female sections or zones with the female group nearer the bottom. The male flowers may be either mixed with the female flowers or separated by a sterile zone of male flowers (depending on genus and species) that do not produce pollen. Pollination in a home is quite unusual but production of new inflorescences (again, not a flower) can be constant if the plant is properly fed. In nature most of these species are pollinated by a beetle known as a Scarab beetle" Bluewing is quite right, although the wild species love lots of water and grow around streams, the hybrid variations do not! They have been "bred" to grow in drier conditions. Just keep the soil moderately damp and it is best to actually allow it to dry a bit between watering. Once the leaves droop just a bit, water it again. They will do much better in diffused light just as advised above.
