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Calathea Orbifolia
Calathea orbifolia
$204-inch
Breathtaking silvery-green striped leaves that fold at dusk — a living work of art.
Calathea orbifolia is among the most visually spectacular foliage plants available for indoor cultivation. Its large, round leaves — sometimes 30 cm across in a mature plant — are decorated with alternating bands of pale silver-green and deeper green in a pattern of extraordinary precision, as if hand-painted. Native to the rainforest floors of Bolivia, it is a prayer plant that folds its leaves upward at dusk and opens them at dawn, tracking the light in a daily ritual. The underside of each leaf is a contrasting pale grey-purple. While Calathea can be demanding about humidity and water quality, the visual reward is unmatched in the houseplant world.
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Pot colour — see it live in the preview above
Care needs
LightMedium
Light is Medium
WaterHigh
Water is High
DifficultyHigh
Difficulty is High
Set a care reminder
This plant needs watering every 3–5 days. Add it to your calendar so you never forget.
This is a demo store — no real purchase will be made.
Care guide
Care tips
Use filtered, rainwater, or distilled water — Calathea is very sensitive to minerals in tap water which cause brown tips. Keep soil consistently moist but not soggy. Maintain humidity above 60% using a humidifier, pebble tray, or grouping with other plants. Avoid cold draughts and temperatures below 15C. Feed monthly in spring and summer with a diluted liquid fertiliser. Do not mist directly as this can encourage fungal issues — use a humidifier instead.
Common issues
Brown crispy leaf edges are almost always caused by hard tap water, low humidity, or cold draughts. Switch to filtered or rainwater immediately. Curling leaves indicate the plant is too dry or cold. Yellow leaves can result from overwatering or root bound conditions. Calathea can experience a degree of die-back in winter — cut back affected leaves and resume growth should appear in spring with consistent care.