Calathea
Calathea spp.
Calathea Plant Features
A bold and beautiful houseplant, calathea looks good even without flowers. There are lots of varieties of calathea, but one of the most common has luscious, dark green leaves that have scalloped edges and silver brushmarks on the top of the leaves. Underneath, the leaves are a lovely shade of burgundy purple. Each one is a living work of art!
Calathea's fancy foliage makes smaller specimens excellent picks for tabletops; as the plants grow (eventually, they can get up to about 3 feet or so, but they are slow growers) they're fantastic floor plants or on low plant stands.
Calathea Questions?
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Calathea Growing Instructions
Grow calathea in medium to low light. This beautiful tropical doesn't like much sun on its leaves, so shield it from direct light to prevent sunburn. Water calathea enough to keep it moist, but not wet or saturated. This isn't a drought-tolerant houseplant, but it is relatively forgiving if you forget to water it from time to time. Extended periods of dryness can result in brown leaf tips or edges.
Like many tropical indoor plants, calathea prefers a spot with low to medium light and abundant humidity. If the air is too dry or the plant dries out too frequently, the leaf edges may turn brown and crispy.
Calathea is not recommended for human or animal consumption.
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Light
Indoors: Low light
Indoors: Medium light -
Colors
Green, Pink, Purple, Red, Variegated
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Water
Medium water needs
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Special Features
Purifies the air
Complement your Calathea with these varieties:
Complement calathea's beautiful leaves with the spikey look of a young Madagascar dragon tree.
Red aglaonema's variegated foliage is an ideal accent to calathea.
Flame violet, a unique variety in the Exotic Angel® Plants collection, loves high humidity and the same light as gorgeous calathea.
Varieties: Our Favorites
Angela
Calathea 'Angela'
Discovered in 1989, Angela has dark green leaves edged in pinky purple and striped in silvery green and dark green.
Cobra
Calathea 'Cobra'
Cobra is a fun variety that offers light green leaves shaded with pinkish-purple tones and veined and edged in deep, dark green.
Cora
Calathea roseopicta 'Cora'
Cora is a delightful houseplant that has gray-green leaves edged in dark green. It's also veined with feathery streaks of dark green and flushed with purple.
Corona
Calathea roseopicta 'Corona'
Bearing big gray-green leaves, Corona features dark green edges and reddish-purple stems.
Cynthia
Calathea roseopicta 'Cynthia'
This beautiful houseplant has splendid deep green leaves edged in silvery green and flushed with purple. Like many other calathea varieties, the backs of the leaves are dark purple.
Eclipse
Calathea 'Eclipse'
Eclipse features dark green leaves ringed in silver and pink.
Freddie
Calathea 'Freddie'
Freddie offers long, narrow leaves that are light green in color. Feathery, dark-green veins provide a fun textural accent.
Medallion
Calathea roseopicta 'Medallion'
A classic variety, Medallion foliage is like a living party! The dark green leaves are flushed and banded with silver and emerald green. The backs of the leaves are dark purple, adding to the excitement!
Pinstripe
Calathea ornata
Another calathea with feathery leaves, this one shows off long, narrow dark green foliage striped in hot pink.
Rose-painted Calathea
Calathea roseopicta
A perfect houseplant to make a statement, this calathea bears dark green leaves with pink stitching up the center and around the edges.
Rosy Calathea
Calathea roseopicta 'Rosy'
Displaying metallic-silver leaves intriguingly highlighted with pink, this calathea has dark purple backsides and dark green edges.
Roundleaf Calathea
Calathea rotundifolia
This selection shows off rounded dark green leaves with feathery markings of lighter green.
Round-Leaf Calathea
Calathea orbifolia
If other calathea varieties are too much for you, try this one. It shows off medium green leaves striped just a couple of shades darker. It's elegant and stunning with any other houseplant.