Prayer Plant
Family
Marantaceae
Origin
Brazil
Description
Calathea makoyana is a tropical plant with decorative foliage. Although the leaves may seem to rise directly from the root stock, they are normally connected to short multi-trunked or clumping stems. It has roughly oval leaves 25-30 cm long on 10-12 inch long stalks and they turn slightly to display the pinkish-maroon underside as well as the green upper surface. Both surfaces have very fine lines running from the central vein in a V-shape to the leaf edges, along with elliptic patches dark green on the upper surface and deep maroon on the underside. The new leaves are rolled up when they emerge and are pinkish-red on the undersides.
Flowers may be seen peeping through pale green bracks on mature plants, but they are insignificant. They are white and appear periodically throughout the year..
Environment
A beautiful tropical houseplant, calathea thrives in spots with high humidity. Calathea is referred to as a shade plant, since in nature it grows in the densely vegetated tropical rainforests of South America. For this reason the plant may not be placed in the direct sun: it prefers a semi-shaded spot at a temperature of between 16 and 27 �C.
Spraying the plant occasionally will be beneficial. Do not allow the pot soil to dry out completely - but take care: water standing in the pot means wet roots, which Calathea does not like. So give the plant regular but small amounts of water!
Giving fertiliser once every 14 days will ensure that you can enjoy your houseplant for a long time. Giving fertiliser once every 14 days will ensure that you can enjoy your houseplant for a long time:
The plant will continually develop new leaves. The leaves of a plant that is not happy will curl and shrivel, and will stop growing.
Landscape Use
Calatheas will do well in a container garden, terrarium or as a houseplant as it prefers low light and is easy to care for. They are very suitable for kitchens and bathrooms.
