It was love at first leaf. Ever since I saw the first pictures of a calathea with it’s fancy leaf patterns, I knew I had to have one.
And then one led to two, and then three, and now I have a quite a few. The fancy leaf patterns make them fun to collect, and while they are a little fussier than some plants, they’re pretty easy as long as you keep them watered. (Pro tip: Vintage Revival’s tip to bottom water was a game changer.)
Without further ado, here are five types of calathea.
Prayer Plant – Maranta
This is the type of prayer plant you are most likely to see in your grocery store, but there is a trick to it. Technically, it’s not a calathea. It’s a Maranta, which as the Sunday Gardner explains very well, is not a calathea but is closely related to them. I put it in the “close enough to make this list” category. The deep pink veins on the leaves are the main indicator.
Pinstripe Plant
If you love pink, this is the plant for you. The delicate pink striping on the leaves are where this calathea get its name and its good looks from.
Tricolor Calathea
Another one for the pink lover, the tricolor calathea’s leaves have big patch of pink, white and green on them. No two leaves look exactly alike.
Rattlesnake Plant
The distinctive dark green dot pattern on this plant is the best way to tell it apart from others. It’s a stunner.
Beauty Star
The Beauty Star is a very handsome plant. The leaves go from light green to dark green with white stripes running through them.
Mostly Minted 