Prayer plant (Goeppertia elliptica)
Care, watering, light and tips for Prayer plant on Floravia.
Quick facts
- Family: Marantaceae
- Difficulty: Demanding
- Watering: every 4 days
- Light: Partial shade
- Temperature: 10–30 °C
About Prayer plant
Goeppertia elliptica, also known as Calathea elliptica or "soikkomaijakki" in Finnish, is a tropical plant from the Marantaceae family, valued for its ornamental foliage. Its elliptical, glossy leaves feature a distinctive dark green pattern with lighter veins, and the undersides are a reddish-purple hue. It's an excellent choice for adding an exotic touch and color to interiors, especially in pots on tables or shelves, where its mobile leaves can be admired.
Native range
South America, specifically in Brazil.
Care tips
This plant prefers bright, indirect light; direct sunlight can scorch its delicate leaves. Keep the substrate consistently moist, but avoid waterlogging, watering when the top layer of the substrate begins to dry. It requires high ambient humidity, so it benefits from regular misting or a nearby humidifier. A common mistake is using tap water with high mineral content, which can cause brown leaf tips; it's best to use distilled or rainwater.
How to save a dying Prayer plant
- Warning signs
- Curled or crispy leaves, brown tips, pale or yellowing leaves, stunted growth.
- First aid
- Increase ambient humidity, move away from drafts/direct sun, check substrate moisture. Water with distilled or rested water.
- What kills it
- Dry air, direct sun, drafts, lack of humidity, overwatering (root rot).
- Can it be saved?
- Yes, if roots are not rotten. It's sensitive, but responds well to proper care and humidity.