How do I care for my Rattlesnake Plant or Calathea Lancifolia?

This month we have chosen the marvellous Calathea lancifolia as our pet friendly plant of the month. We love Calatheas for their strikingly patterned leaves and the lancifolia is a particularly showy addition to your plant collection. Its upright habit and the velvety purple undersides of the leaves make this tropical plant a real stunner.

We are particularly excited about this month's subscription as this is the first month we're sending out new, higher value plants due to our improved plant sourcing capability. Meaning we can now send plants we would never have been able to include in our subscription deliveries, until now. We are so excited about this! 

Explore indoor plant subscriptions

Native habitat

Native to Brazilian Rainforests.

Light and position in the home

Plenty of bright but indirect or diffused sunlight is best for this plant. Like most Calatheas it will tolerate some shade. Avoid direct sun as this will affect tha markings on the leaves. These humidity-loving plants are a great choice for bathrooms and kitchens.

Foliage and flowers

Calatheas are famous for their beautifully elaborate leaves. This plant has patterned leaves in shades of green, with velvety-purple undersides. The wavy-edged foliage has earned this Calathea the name Rattlesnake plant. If the leaves get dusty over time, use a damp cloth to give them a gentle clean.

Temperature

This plant will be happy in normal room temperatures around 18-24ºC but avoid cold locations and draughts.

Watering

Little and often is best. These plants don't like standing in water but do prefer the soil on the damp side. Reduce watering in winter. If you notice the leaves are starting to turn yellow, this could be a sign of overwatering. Leaves that begin to curl too much on the other hand indicate the plant may be in need of more water.

Did you know? 

Calatheas are often called prayer plants due to the way their leaves move up and down during the day as light levels change. Your plant may arrive with the leaves pointing upwards after being in transit - this is completely normal for this plant and you'll be able to observe this movement every night.

This plant is non-toxic to cats and dogs!

We'll be sending one of these amazing Calatheas to all our pet friendly indoor plant subscribers in March 2022. 

Love the look of this plant? View our indoor subscriptions and get yours here!