Marketplace Genus

Calathea

Calathea

61 cultivars

Calathea is a spectacular group of tropical ornamentals celebrated for their intricately patterned, vividly colored foliage. Widely referred to as Prayer Plants alongside their close relatives, these clumping perennials feature broad, lance-shaped or rounded leaves adorned with dramatic strokes of silver, pink, cream, and pale green, often revealing rich burgundy or purple undersides. A captivating characteristic of this group is the daily movement of its leaves, which fold upward at night as if in prayer and lower during the day to catch the light. While many species have been recently reclassified by botanists into the genus Goeppertia, they remain universally cherished and traded as Calatheas. Because they originate from the shaded floors of tropical rainforests, Calatheas thrive as indoor houseplants in warm, humid environments with bright, indirect light. They are famously sensitive to harsh direct sun and the hard minerals often found in tap water, rewarding careful watering with some of the most striking botanical displays available for indoor collections.