Log in or sign up

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.

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

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.

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