What is a Prayer Plant?

Maranta, popularly called Prayer Plant, is a swarm herb found in the tropical Americas, primarily in South America. It’s a little tropical plant with broad oval leaves that can grow up to 8 inches long and half that wide. The process in which the leaves curl upwards at nighttime gives the prayer plant its name. Prayer plants are versatile indoor plants that can be used as small display plants, hanging plants, ground covers, dish gardens, and combo planters.

4 Types of Prayer Plant

Prayer plants come in over 40-50 various varieties, but Maranta Leuconeura has been the most prominent. Prayer plants come in a variety of colors and patterns, which distinguish them from one another. Red prayer-plants, which already have lovely crimson streaks streaming through them, are amongst the most prominent features. Lemons (or lemon limes) have light green/white veins instead of red veins.

The olive green base of the black variation features silver patterns and veins, as well as purple dots. Green and Kim prayer-plants possess fewer limbs and therefore are renowned for their large spots that are either green (in the past) or a deeper, dark purple today (the latter). Listed below are a few different types of Prayer Plants.

1. Maranta leuconeura ‘Erythroneura’ (Red Prayer Plant)

The red prayer plant (or herringbone plant) has white or cream green flowing shivers down of its evergreen tree.There are numerous colors of crimson in the arching veins. It grows six to eight inches tall and has light lavender blooms. is known by the common name “Green Prayer Plant” because at night

Maranta’s fold their leaves into a huddle to “sleep.” The plant’s popular name, prayer plant, comes from the way the foliage fold upward resembling praying hands.

With the way the leaves move up and down depending on the time of day, you’d think this plant had muscles and tendons! Water entering into the cells causes swelling and shrinkage in an organ at the base of the leaves. To create this movement in their leaves, this horticultural phenomenon syncs with a cyclic biological cycle that repeats every 24 hours.

2. Maranta leuconeura var. ‘Massangeana’ (Black Prayer Plant)

The foliage of the black prayer plant is blackish green with metallic veins. It is a member of the “massangeana” subfamily. It is distinctive for its silvery-blue leaves with dark olive green edges and purple spots. It has small white flowers and grows up to eleven inches tall. This is a fantastic indoor plant for absorbing airborne contaminants and clearing the air in the room.

3. Maranta leuconeura ‘Kerchoveana’ (Green Prayer Plant)

The variegated evergreen plant Maranta leuconeura Kerchoveana is maintained as a house plant because of its attractive blade. It is endemic to the Brazilian Rainforests. It’s also renowned as a Rabbit’s Tracks prayer plant due to the obvious 2 rows of brownish spots on its leaves and stems. The green prayer plant is by far the most frequent form of prayer plant used as an indoor houseplant.

4. Calathea Ornata (Pinstripe Calathea)

Calathea Ornata (also named as Pinstripe Plant or Calathea Pinstripe) is a gorgeous plant with pinkish striping on large green foliage. It’s lovely, but it’s a finicky plant that can be tough to care for at times. The plant’s dark green leaves are striped with very pale green, giving a lovely contrast and distinct aesthetic. The pinstripe calathea is usually grown indoors rather than outdoors.

The Pin-Stripe Calathea’s blade develops somewhere at end of every single stem that needs to be cared for and placed properly to seem as healthy as possible. If cultivated inside, the shrub would not develop much more than 2 feet wide and 2 feet tall. This plant is lovely indoors, but it can also be kept outside and can liven up a variety of spaces, including patios, porches, and decking. It can also be used to fill in gaps between plants in beds and borders. This plant is great for mixing with other plants with huge leaves because of its foliage.

Conclusion

Maranta is unique in that its leaflets are incredibly photosensitive. The beauty of the leaves on these indoor plants is also something to be admired. Prayer plants were one of the most attractive and low-maintenance tropical plants available for indoor cultivation. And thanks to the many different species and varieties available, there are a wide array of foliage patterns and color combinations you could choose from.