Calatheas are stunning foliage plants in the Marantaceae family, or prayer plant family. There are many types of Calathea that come in a beautiful array of showy foliage and there is sure to be at least one for anyone’s taste! In fact, there are nearly 300 different cultivars, but only a small number are readily available.
In general, they all like bright, indirect light, high humidity and fairly moist soil. Let’s take a look at different calathea plants that are available.
Calathea Varieties
Rattlesnake Plant, or Calathea lancifolia, is one of the most beautiful and easiest to grow types of Calathea. The leaves are narrow with beautiful darker green spots on the leaves. The undersides of the leaves are a maroon color. The species name lancifolia comes from the fact that this plant has lance-shaped leaves.
The Round-Leaf Calathea, or Calathea orbifolia, has large, round leaves that contain alternating darker green and lighter green stripes. The leaves grow to be at least 8 inches (20 cm.) wide and mature plants can get quite big, approaching 2-3 feet (61-91cm.) tall and wide.
Zebra Plant, or Calathea zebrina, is another one of many striking Calathea varieties. As you can imagine from the name, the foliage has zebra-like stripes of dark green and lighter green.
The Peacock Calathea, or Calathea makoyana, is very showy with dark green and light green foliage that is also purple on the undersides. It gets its common name as a result of leaf patterns that resemble a peacock’s tail feathers.
The Rose-Painted Calathea, or Calathea roseopicta, is another one of many varieties of Calathea with incredible foliage. This variety gets its name from the rose-colored, pinkish stripes that appear to be painted on the foliage. The leaves are larger and round with areas of dark green and light green.
One of the most unusual Calathea varieties is the Network Plant, or Calathea musaica. The foliage has a delicate network pattern all over the leaves. It is also less usual than most types of Calathea in that the bottoms and tops of the leaves are not different colors.
