Maranta vs. Calathea: What’s The Difference

Is it a Calathea or Maranta plant? We know how you feel, as you can quickly get confused with the two plants as they look the same. Luckily Plantly is here to help when you want to add either of them to your plant collection.

Then, when you reach the end of our article, you can quickly tell the different genera apart.

More About Calathea Plants and Maranta Plants

Okay, one question asked often is if the Calathea and Maranta are the same plants. The answer is NO.

But both of these plants belong to the Marantaceae family, but even in the same family, they have different growing to similar needs. Confusing right?

Still, some people call them Prayer plants, but that is only half true. Both these plants are closely related to intricate colors and patterns and are mistaken for each other.

Yet, when you look closer at the Calathea leaves, you do not see the distinct color marking on the midrib and veins as in the Maranta plant.

Furthermore, the Maranta is the actual prayer plant as the leaf shape undergoes nyctinasty, a unique process.

As a result, the Maranta leaves will open during the day and fold up at night, making them look like praying hands.

So, the Calathea plants are not prayer plants as the leaves do not respond to light similarly.

Hence, Calathea does not have the name prayer plant but is known as the Peacock plant, Zebra plant, or Rattlesnake plant as it resembles these animals’ exact patterns.

Yet, these two plants have many more differences, so keep reading to learn more.

What is Maranta?

maranta leuconeura

In the Maranta genus, more than 40 species are available native to the tropical regions of Central and South America. The Maranta is a commonly labeled prayer plant and is a popular houseplant.

A standout Maranta is the Maranta leuconeura, known as the Red Prayer Plant. The true prayer plants have leaves with distinctive veins and has oval leaves. These beautiful indoor plants grow in a different shape than the genus Calathae.

Furthermore, when you compare Maranta vs. Calathea, the Maranta is more tolerant to cold.

What is Calathea?

calathea medallion

The Calathea plant originates from Africa and South America and is more significant than your Maranta plants. One of the common Calathea plants is the Calathea zebrina or Zebra plant.

In the Calathea genus, you find over 300 species, and the leaf shape is different, with intricate patterns varying in shape and design. The gorgeous foliage stands out with glossy dark green leaves with striking patterns.

The foliage of the Calathea species tends to be lance-shaped, but you can find it rounded or oval.

Maranta vs. Calathea Difference

When it comes to Maranta and Calathea plants, they might look the same, but there are differences in this Arrowroot family. But the most significant difference is seen in both species’ beautiful foliage.

Looking at the Maranta leaves, you see deep reds or greens, while the Calathea leaves look like a watercolor painting with splotches.

The Leaves

The leaves in the genus Maranta are oval with deep ribbed veins and symmetrical patterns. Then looking at the leaves of the genus Calathea you see foliage with ornate patterns.

In addition, the underside of the foliage can have bold colors to complex patterns.

This is because the leaf variegation differs, and the Calathea leaves are stiffer, standing away from the main plant.

Indoor Growth

The Calathea plants grow best outdoors compared to the Maranta plant. Growing outdoors, the Calathea displays a rich foliage color.

On the other hand, the Maranta does well growing indoors in a hanging pot, and they can also thrive when grown outdoors.

Temperature Tolerance

Regarding freezing temperatures, the Maranta can tolerate cold regions better than the Calathea. When temperatures drop below 60°F, the Calathea suffer but do well in humid environments.

The Color Difference

To distinguish Maranta and Calathea, easily see both plants’ visual appearance. The Maranta has bold colors with striped lime green or deep red patterns. The Calathea also has stunning colors with striking patterns resembling a pastel watercolor painting.

Plant Growth

Regarding growth, both Calathea and Maranta have different growth rates. The Maranta has spreading stems growing in different directions in a bush form that is easy using other propagation methods.

The Maranta thrives best in hanging baskets as you can snip off the uncontrolled growth to control it. Hence, you can grow Maranatha as a ground cover in the garden. The Calathea has an upright bushy growth and does not need much pruning.

Caring For Maranta and Calathea Plants

The Maranta is easier to propagate and needs little pruning, while the Calathea is a more challenging plant to care for. Calathea does need more attention to thrive. Both these plants have small delicate blooms, but the Calathea blooms take longer to form buds.

Propagation

You can propagate the Maranta plants by placing stem cuttings in water. At the same time, you can only propagate Calathea through root division and not use a stem cutting.

Water and Soil Conditions

Maranta plants need moist soil and will not grow well in humid conditions but need distilled water. At the same time, Calathea can tolerate water from a tap and needs humidity allowing the soil to dry between watering.

Maranta Prayer Plant Varieties

Now that you know the different genera of the two plants, you can grow some spectacular Maranta cultivars in the garden or the home.

Maranta leuconeura’ Erythroneura’ (Red Prayer Plant)

Maranta leuconeura' Erythroneura'

The Red Prayer plants have greenish-black leaves with a red shade along the midrib with a green-yellow center. These are popular houseplants with red veins on the leaves, and it grows best when pot-bounded. This Maranta grows well in a hanging pot.

Maranta leuconeura ‘Marisela’

The Marisela makes a huge difference in the leaf color even if it is the same plant Maranta. Here you see a green counterpart native to Brazil, growing as tropical understory plants. Compared to species like Calathea lancifolia, this plant also loves humidity.

Maranta leuconeura var. erythroderma ‘Lemon Lime’

Maranta leuconeura lemon lime

The Maranta is a low-growing yet clumping plant that grows both wide and tall. The prayer plant grows elliptic to oval leaves in green with a chartreuse midrib and venation. During the day, the leaves display horizontally and move upright at night.

Maranta leuconeura var. ‘Kerchoveana’

Maranta leuconeura var. 'Kerchoveana'

These prayer plants are often labeled rabbit foot and grow vines hanging from hanging pots. It has velvety foliage with brown splotches.

Maranta leuconeura ‘Kim’

Kim is a stunning prayer plant with a stubby form and light colors. You see purple spots completed with white streaks on the leaves.

Famous Calathea Called Prayer Plants

As with the Maranta plants, you also get several Calathea varieties to grow in the garden.

Calathea Makoyana

calathea makoyana

The peacock plant also has a beautiful pattern seen on the leaves. The leaves have the shape of an egg and are paper thin with silver streaks that extend from the middle vein to the leaf margins. On the underside of the foliage, it is pink or red and produces small white flowers.

Calathea Medallion

calathea medallion

The Calathea leaves have a waxy appearance that grows well in low-light conditions. It has medallion-like leaves with green patterns on the top and burgundy underneath.

Calathea Burle Marxii ( Fishbone Calathea )

fishbone calathea

The Calathea fishbone makes for an interesting houseplant with striped foliage. These are slow growers with fan-like clusters of leaves looking like a fishbone. The leaves are green on the top with a grayish or red underside.

Calathea Zebrina

calathea zebrina

The Zebrina is a popular Calathea variety with stripes on the leaf surface with a velvety touch. The leaves come over thick with an oblong shape. When it flowers, you see purple-white blooms in spring.

Rattlesnake Calathea Lancifolia

rattlesnake calathea

The rattlesnake plant is easy to care for and has long sword-like leaves with rattlesnake patterns. It can grow up to 12 inches long. The waxy leaves have a purple underside and bloom yellow flowers in spring.

Calathea Roseopicta

Calathea

The plant looks carefully painted in silver, purple, green, and pink colors. The leaf underside is purple or red. In the summer, you see purple flowers on long petioles.

Calathea Flamestar

Calathea flamestar

The flamestar has bold green leaf colors with yellow markings, making it a gorgeous houseplant.

Final Thought

We have reached the end of our Maranta vs. Calathea, and you can now distinguish the two apart. Here is a summary of all the essential differences between the two plants.

  • Maranta leaves are primarily oval, while the Calathea leaf shapes vary from oval, oblong, lance-shaped, or round.

  • The Calathea thrives best outside compared to Maranta, which is happy indoors and in the garden.

  • You can quickly propagate the Marantha, and the Calathea plant is more challenging to care for.

  • The only actual prayer plants are the Maranta, as the Calathea is incorrectly labeled prayer plant.

Great, now that you can easily see a major difference between these outdoor plants; why not check through the Plantly collection to find a suitable one for your home or garden?

Whether you want to buy, sell, or simply reach out to other plant enthusiasts, Plantly is the right place to be!

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