Calathea

Jungle plant with rustling leaves

Calathea's leaves come in all shapes and sizes: waved, ridged, round, pointy or oval shaped. They're also not scared of pattern.

Colours and shapes

Calathea’s strength and beauty lie in its leaves. The delightfully oval shapes come in various shades of green, and some have an occasional hint of deep purple. Some varieties have striking striped and flame-patterned leaves, while others are edged in a simple contrasting colour. A few showstopping plants boast eye-catching orange flowers — and that’s not all. As soon as the sun comes out in the morning, the fabulous leaves spread themselves wide to catch the light, and at night they softly close again.

Symbolism

The Calathea symbolises a new beginning. This comes from the famous expression ‘to turn over a new leaf’, as this is exactly what the plant does when it gets dark. Calathea therefore makes an excellent gift to someone who starting afresh. Of course, you can also give it to yourself as a present, maybe at the start of the week, when you’ve had a new haircut — or simply to add to your family of houseplants.

Origin

The plant comes from from the jungles of the Amazon in South America, where it lives in the shade beneath dense vegetation. Your Calathea will be happy in a shady spot or in a nice damp bathroom, somewhere where it isn't drenched in sunlight.