44 Best Types of Calathea Varieties

Ralph Astley is a retired gardener from Philadelphia who specializes in outdoor plants and trees. With years of hands-on experience, Ralph not only cares for a diverse range of outdoor flora but also shares his extensive knowledge through well-written articles and social media posts. A trusted authority in arboriculture, he's committed to helping the community grow healthier, more robust gardens.
Learn About Our Editorial Policy

2-Minute Read

Whether it's the deep-green Dottie or the vibrant Fusion White, these types of Calatheas thrive in different conditions but all promise eye-catching foliage to brighten up your home! Go with the Round-Leaf Calathea with wide, leathery leaves or the Rattlesnake Plant's long, narrow foliage! Find many more below.

Learn all about the Best Calathea Types! This genus has some of the most stunning varieties for your houseplant collection.

Calathea is a popular houseplant famous for its gorgeous leaves. Regardless of which you’re going to pick from these Calathea Varieties, their eye-catching foliage is sure to turn many heads in your home!

Check out our article on the best Croton varieties here

1. Round-leaf Calathea

Botanical Name: Calathea orbifolia

This variety has 8-12 inches wide, leathery leaves with creamy and light-green stripes. It prefers humid conditions and well-draining soil. Keep it under partial shade.

2. Rattlesnake Plant

Reddit

Botanical Name: Calathea lancifolia

Rattlesnake calathea features long and narrow, light-green leaves with edges in dark green marks. Place the plant in bright filtered light and use rich, well-draining soil.

3. Furry Feather

Botanical Name: Calathea rufibarba

Also known as Velvet Calathea, it has lance-shaped green foliage with velvety purple undersides on long burgundy stems. It is tolerant to lower light conditions.

4. Corona

Reddit

Botanical Name: Calathea roseopicta ‘Corona’

Corona calathea varieties have large glossy foliage with bright green to creamy patterns. It thrives in well-draining soil. Protect the plant from cold drafts.

5. Dottie

Botanical Name: Calathea roseopicta ‘Dottie’

Dottie has deep-green foliage that looks almost black, with fuschia pink outlines on each leaf. Keep it in bright, indirect sunlight and mist regularly to maintain humidity.

6. Rosey

Rosey Purple brown plant in white pot

Botanical Name: Calathea roseopicta ‘Rosey’

Rosey features large oval-shaped leaves with green edges and a pink center with purple undersides that fold during the night. Grow it in well-draining soil and protect it from cold drafts.

7. Jungle Velvet

plant vine

Botanical Name: Calathea warscewiczii

It grows in lance-shaped, velvety dark green leaves with light green patterns. Grow the plant in high humid conditions or use a humidifier.

8. Peacock Calathea

Botanical Name: Calathea mako yana

This beautiful calathea has thin, dark green to purple foliage with peacock markings and lime feathering on red-pink stems. Keep it in bright, indirect sunlight and high humidity.

Calathea Care Indoors | How to Grow Calathea

9. Eternal Flame

Botanical Name: Calathea crocata

Eternal Flame’s ruffled lance-shaped dark green leaves retain their color for a long and look magnificent with yellow flowers! It thrives well in bright, indirect sunlight and loves the morning sun.

10. Pin-stripe

Botanical Name: Calathea ornata

Pin-stripe offers foot-long oblong dark green leaves patterned with pink-white stripes on long green stems. Grow this calathea in well-draining and slightly moist soil.

11. Zebra Calathea

Botanical Name: Calathea zebrina

The dark to mid-green patterns on its velvety leaves resemble a Zebra’s skin. These types of Calathea also grow purple-white flowers in spring. Place the plant in filtered sunlight for optimum growth.

12. Sanderiana

Sanderiana plant near wall

Botanical Name: Calathea ornata ‘Sanderiana’

Sanderiana has glossy dark green leaves with rose-cream pinstripes and purple bottom sides. The plant thrives in indirect sunlight, so keep it in a bright spot.

45 Fussy But Fabulous Calatheas You Need To See

13. Freddie

Freddie potted plant on table

Botanical Name: Calathea ‘Freddie’

Freddy looks quite stunning with its light green, long, narrow leaves patterned with dark-green feathery veins! Place the plant in bright indirect light, and follow these steps to maintain humidity.

14. Network Calathea

Waitrose garden

Botanical Name: Calathea music ‘PP0005’

This stunningly textured cultivar has variegated small green leaves. The plant does well in bright indirect light, so it is ideal for keeping it by the East or West window.

15. White Fusion

Botanical Name: Calathea ‘Fusion White’

Fusion white has a fantastic marbling of white and green on the foliage with a bright purple underside. If you love showy plants, this is the one to grow!

16. White Tiger

honuhoneyhoyas

Botanical Name: Calathea albertii ‘White Tiger’

The white tiger has a charming white pattern in the shape of waves on the dark green leaves. Pair it with other varieties on this list for a splash of colors.

Here are some of the best peperomia varieties you can grow!

17. Misto

misto calathea plant in pot

Botanical Name: Calathea ‘Misto’

A hybrid variety features dark green foliage with a light and bright green center with serrated variegation. It’s perfect for tabletops and shelves.

18. Beauty Star

sivoraksgreenjungle

Botanical Name: Calathea ‘Beauty Star’

If you love green, then you will absolutely adore this plant. The foliage has a bright green feathering from the center that flows towards the dark green ends of the leaves.

19. MedallionMedallion calathea in white pot on desk

Botanical Name: Calathea roseopicta ‘Medallion’

The plant’s foliage has a certain sheen on the surface with hues of silver and emerald green on the green base. The back of the leaves is in the shade of purple.

20. Rose-painted Calathea

Botanical Name: Calathea roseopicta ‘Little Princess’

This beautiful Calathea variety has dark leaves of purple that appear almost black. These are covered in beautiful pink patterns, too.

How to Grow Calathea Roseopicta Indoors

21. Calathea Picturata

Picturata calathea plant holding hand
plantboy.ng

Botanical Name: Calathea picturata

Also called Calathea picture ‘Argentea,’ it has amazing foliage of contrasting hues. It has dark leaves, and it looks like there are lighter leaves printed on the foliage.

22. Bachemiana

Bachemiana calathea plant in balcony
cux_houseplants

Botanical Name: Calathea bachemiana

If you love stripes, this one is for you. The Calathea bachemiana has elongated leaves of light green covered in darker stripes.

23. Marantifolia

Marantifolia calathea plant indoor

Botanical Name: Calathea marantifolia

Marantifolia has simple green leaves with textured veins that you can feel. It grows 3-4 feet tall and also gives tiny yellow-white flowers.

24. Thai Beauty

Thai Beauty calathea pot holding in hand

Botanical Name: Calathea louisae ‘Thai Beauty’

If you get your hands on the Thai Beauty Calathea, don’t let it go. It has beautiful leaves of lime green, white, yellow, and dark patterns that make it look like it was painted.

25. Latifolia

Latifolia calathea flower
staticflickr

Botanical Name: Calathea latifolia

With large, pleated foliage and clusters of tiny purple flowers, Latifolia is a wonderful choice for the garden. It is called Bijao by the locals of Panama.

7 Stunning Flowering Calatheas

26. Albertii

Albertii calathea on wooden bench
Reddit

Botanical Name: Calathea albertii

Light green leaves with yellow centers and dark green stripes – you can never go wrong with the Albertii Calathea variety.

27. Calathea Compact Star

Calathea variety setosa plant in white pot

Botanical Name: Calathea setosa

The leaves of the Never Never variety of Calathea have a beautiful silver-green color with dark green stripes. It reaches a height of 1-3 feet easily.

28. Calathea Anulque

Anulque calathea plant on table near sofa
iamcrazyplantlady7

Botanical Name: Calathea anulque

Anuque is an evergreen perennial Calathea type with beautiful leaves of light and dark green. It won’t flower indoors, though.

29. Cigar Plant (Cuban Cigar)

kemih

Botanical Name: Calathea lutea

A lovely Calathea with broad leaves and a massive height of 10-12 feet – it is so named because of the shape of its flowers.

30. Eclipse

Eclipse calathea plant on wooden floor

Botanical Name: Calathea roseopicta ‘Eclipse’

You will find the Eclipse varieties of Calatheas in South America. Give them indirect light, and they’ll keep thriving.

31. Helen Kennedy

Helen Kennedy calathea black wooden wall

Botanical Name: Calathea dressleri ‘Helen Kennedy’

The Helen Kennedy is a beautiful Calathea named after Helen Kennedy, a great cultivator and researcher of the Calathea genus.

23 Types of Morning Glory Flowers | Morning Glory Care

32. Ecuadoriana

Ecuadoriana calathea plant on white table
mowgarden

Botanical Name: Calathea ecuadoriana

Ecuadoriana Calathea can grow up to 2 feet tall and has dark green leaves with a light green stripe across the central vein.

33. Calathea Elliptica

Elliptica plant terracotta pot in living room

Botanical Name: Calathea elliptica ‘Vittata’

If you’re looking for types of Calatheas that flower – Elliptica has small cream ones with lavender edges. The leaves are pretty, too.

34. Ice Blue Calathea

Botanical Name: Calathea burle-marxii ‘Blue Ice’

This one does not grow too tall and will make the perfect houseplant. Give it medium to bright light (indirect).

35. Lotus Pink

Botanical Name: Calathea loeseneri

You can’t miss this beauty when talking about Calathea types – it is named as it has blooms that look like a miniature lotus.

All of the different Calathea varieties given below have been reclassified as Goeppertia as per the latest botanical research. However, they’re still Calatheas and make wonderful houseplants. 

36. Calathea Fucata

Calathea Fucata plant on stairs
reddit

Botanical Name: Calathea fucata

This large leaf Calathea is often mistaken for Freddie. But the color on this one is a bit lighter.

37. Calathea Fasciata

Fasciata calathea plant on table

Botanical Name: Calathea fasciata

The ‘Fasciata’ variety is popular in Brazil and commonly grown as a houseplant. It loves humidity.

38. Micans

Botanical Name: Calathea micans

The Micans Calathea type never crosses a height of 1 foot, making it a miniature wonder. And it has stunning leaves with a light stripe running across the rib.

39. Rattle Shaker

Rattle Shaker calathea plant in garden
wikimedia

Botanical Name: Calathea crotalifera

It has a large flower that sticks up like a rattlesnake’s tail. 2 Calathea types look like a rattlesnake – this one and Calathea lancifolia, which is mentioned in point number 2 of our list.

14 Different Types of Callisia Species You Can Grow

40. Stromanthifolia

Stromanthifolia plant pot near gate

Botanical Name: Calathea stromanthifolia

Native to Bolivia, this Calathea variety has oblong, patterned leaves and delicate purple-red stems.

41. Wiotii

Botanical Name: Calathea wiotii

Wiotii is a smaller Calathea type with glossy leaves covered in dark green patches. You will also find it as Goeppertia wiotii.

42. Silverplate Roseopicta CalatheaSilverplate Roseopicta Calathea

Botanical Name: Calathea roseopicta ‘Silverplate’

The Silver Plate has amazing leaves of a faded green color with dark green edges and peach veins. What a beauty!

43. White Star

White Star calathea plant near window
soiledplanties

Botanical Name: Calathea majestica ‘White Star’

This is one of the most beautiful varieties on our list. It has light green leaves with dark green veins and edges. And it’s enhanced with subtle white-pink stripes.

9 Beautiful Types of Blue Agave Plants

44. Undulata CalatheaCalathea undulata

Botanical Name: Calathea undulata

Calathea undulata has a beautiful appearance. Its foliage is dark green and has a silver-green stripe running across each leaf’s rib.

7 Best Succulents to Grow in Water

Recent Posts

Join our 3 Million Followers:

2.6MFollowers
300kFans
69kSubscribers

Related Articles

5 COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here