How to Care for Calathea Plants-Rattlesnake Calathea

Hi, I was given this plant and would like to know the name of it. Thanks!

 

Hi Cynthia,

Rattlesnake Calathea has long, green leaves with dark decorative spots

Your plant is a type of Calathea Lancifolia called a “Rattlesnake” Calathea. There are many different varieties of calathea plants, all with beautiful, unique leaves, and interesting flowers.

Care tips for a calathea plant.
Light: A Calathea plant likes bright, indirect light. so placing it in front of an east, west, or north window is ideal. Too much direct sun burns the leaves and causes the beautiful leaf colors to fade.
Water: The leaves of Calathea plants are easily damaged by the quality of the water you use. Hard water or soft water, water with a high chemical content (fluoride, chlorine, or salt), or water of poor quality causes leaf burn. Water a Calathea plant with distilled water, rain water, or allow your tap water to sit out over night before using it. These plants like moist but not soggy soil at all times; never allow a Calathea plant to sit in water. Allow the top 2-3” of soil to dry out before watering.
Plant Food: Fertilize monthly in the spring, summer, and fall with a balanced plant food diluted to ½ the recommended strength. Never feed a Calathea, or any houseplant, if it is not actively growing.

You can read all my care tips for a  Calathea plant in the Popular Houseplant section of the website The picture is of a totally different variety but the care is the same.

https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/calathea-how-to-grow-care-tips

Learn to recognize poisonous houseplants in my book: Don’t Feed Me To Your Cat! A Guide to Poisonous Houseplants.