Calathea whitestar

For more care advice about Joey, check out our complete guide to calathea care.

This houseplant’s smart leaves have white and green stripes and a hint of pink, making it a standout in any room. It’s the perfect companion for any of our other calatheas. They all like lots of light and humid conditions.

This plant is native to Brazil, where you’ll find it growing in the shade of big trees in tropical rainforests. Like almost all other calathea, its leaves curl up at night, then unfurl in the morning to catch the sun. One of its nicknames is prayer plant, because the curled leaves look like praying hands.

If you think about where it’s from, it’s easy to remember how to look after it. It’s used to dappled light, so it doesn't like direct sun. Too much sun will make its leaf pattern fade. It also needs lots of rainforest-like moisture. You can either put it in a humid room, like a bathroom, or mist it regularly. It will also benefit from a feed with liquid fertiliser once per month in spring and summer. Meet those demands and it will be very happy.

Did you know? 

There are around 200 different species of calathea in the wild.