Log in

Maranta

Common name: Prayer plant · Herringbone plant

Maranta A genus of about 40 to 50 species of low, rhizomatous perennials in the prayer plant family, Marantaceae, native to the tropical Americas. Maranta leuconeura, the prayer plant, is a beloved houseplant with strikingly veined and patterned leaves that fold upward at night like hands in prayer, a movement called nyctinasty. It thrives in warm, humid conditions with low to medium light, much like the forest floor it comes from.

Fun facts

  • Its leaves fold upward each evening like hands in prayer, which gives the plant its common name.
  • The leaf-folding movement is driven by a swollen joint called a pulvinus at the base of each leaf stalk.
  • The genus is named after Bartolomeo Maranti, a 16th-century Italian physician and botanist.

Care summary

Sun Low to medium indirect light
Water Keep lightly moist; distilled or rain water preferred
Soil Peat-based, well-draining mix
Hardiness
Mature height
Pet safe

Common problems

    • Mist foliage or group plants together
    • Stand pots on a pebble tray
    • Keep out of direct sunlight
    • Give bright but filtered light
    • Raise humidity around the plant
    • Wipe leaves with a damp cloth