In its natural habitat the Calathea dwells in forest areas shaded by trees without direct sunlight, which is why a bright but shaded spot within a warm greenhouse or conservatory suits them very well. Sudden temperature drops and cold drafts should be avoided. A bright bathroom large enough to house the plant can be a good location, because of the higher moisture levels.Īverage room temperatures of 65-75✯ (18-24✬) are best, and no lower than 60✯ (15✬). These are not the main attractive feature of this plant, even when they do bloom (still nice to see of course).ĭisplaying: Caltheas love a warm but shaded spot in greenhouses or conservatories, but anywhere indoors without cold drafts and enough light is suitable. įlowering: The Zebra plant produces purple or white inconspicuous flowers which are unlikely to appear indoors. It's a clump forming plant that produces long stalks (up to 1 metre tall) and the leaves (15 inches or more in length) sit at the top. The underside of the leaves are purple and not always visible because leaves grow horizontally (although some will curve or grow more upright).

This variety has velvety patterned ovate leaves which are light green in color with darker green stripes, like Zebra stripes. How it looks: Just like all others from the Maranta group and Calathea genus, it's grown for its striking leaves. It's sometimes named prayer plant when sold at garden stores and its common name (Zebra) is also given to the Aphelandra squarrosa.īeing a tropical plant native to Brazil the Calathea does require a warm and moist environment which encourages the foliage to thrive and look its best. The Zebra plant is from the same family (marantaceae) as the popular indoor prayer plant and has many similarities, although the Calathea zebrina grows taller and can be slightly more difficult to grow.

Zebra 2 tropical house