Houseplant · Marantaceae

Calathea Medallion

Goeppertia roseopicta

Give it soft water, warm air, and steady humidity, and the medallion leaves unfurl with their full painted pattern.

Light

Bright indirect

Warmth

61–⁠75°F · 16–⁠24°C

Hardiness

USDA 11–⁠12

Mature size

12–⁠18 in · 30–⁠46 cm

Pet-safe
Calathea Medallion

Overview

The Calathea Medallion earns its name from big rounded leaves that look hand-painted, lime-green feathering over a darker base with a deep burgundy underside. It belongs to the prayer plant family and comes from the rainforests of South America, where it grows in the warm, shaded layer beneath the canopy. At dusk the leaves fold upward like hands at prayer, a daily movement called nyctinasty.

This is a plant for someone who likes to fuss a little. It is rated demanding for good reason: it wants warmth, steady moisture, high humidity, and water free of the fluoride and chlorine that come out of most taps. Get those right and it stays lush and richly colored. Cut corners and it tells you fast, usually with brown, crispy leaf edges.

It stays compact, topping out around knee height, and grows slowly, so it suits a shelf, a desk, or a humid bathroom with decent light. Keep it out of direct sun, which scorches the leaves and fades the pattern. The reward for the right spot is foliage that few other houseplants can match.

Care

The short version: bright indirect light, never direct sun, with soil kept evenly moist using distilled water or rainwater. Hold the humidity above 60%, keep it warm, and feed monthly through spring and summer.

Light

Give it bright, indirect light and keep it out of direct sun, which scorches the leaves and bleaches the pattern. It handles partial to full shade better than most, though too little light dulls the color. A spot near a bright window behind a sheer curtain is ideal.

Water

Keep the soil evenly moist but never soggy through the growing season, then ease off and keep it just damp over winter. The bigger issue is water quality, since this plant reacts to the fluoride and chlorine in tap water with brown tips. Use distilled water or rainwater instead.

Soil

Plant it in a well-drained, peaty mix rich in organic matter, with vermiculite or perlite worked in for drainage. A pH between 6.0 and 7.0, slightly acidic to neutral, suits it well. The mix should hold moisture without ever staying waterlogged.

Temperature

Keep it warm, between 61°F and 75°F (16°C to 24°C). It has no tolerance for cold and wants a steady temperature of at least 61°F (16°C) year round, well away from draughts, open windows, and cold glass.

Humidity

This plant wants humidity above 60% and shows its displeasure with crispy leaf edges when the air runs dry. Group it with other plants, set it over a pebble tray, or run a humidifier. A bright bathroom often gives it exactly what it wants.

Feeding

Feed monthly with a balanced liquid fertilizer through spring and summer while the plant is actively growing, and stop over the winter rest. Go light rather than heavy, because leftover salts build up in the soil and add to the brown-tip problem.

Pruning

No real pruning is needed. Just remove old leaves at the base as they yellow or brown, which keeps the plant tidy and steers its energy into fresh growth. Trimming a browned tip back to a thin margin is fine for looks.

Repotting

Repot every 1 to 2 years in spring, or sooner if roots circle the pot or push through the drainage holes, moving up just one pot size. This is also the moment to divide the clump if you want more plants. Watch for slowed growth or fast drying as a sign it's outgrowing its home.

Size & spacing

It stays small, reaching about 12 to 18 inches (30 to 46 cm) tall with a spread of 9 to 12 inches (23 to 30 cm). The slow, compact habit makes it easy to place on a shelf or desk without it ever crowding the space.

Troubleshooting

Almost every calathea problem shows up first on the leaves, and most trace back to water, light, or humidity. Read the early signs and you can usually fix the cause before it spreads. Match what you see below, then adjust the care that brought it on.

Severe

Wilting and yellowing with a soft, mushy base

When the soil stays soggy, root rot sets in and the plant wilts even though the mix is wet. Tip it out and check the roots, which turn brown and mushy instead of firm and pale. Trim away the rotted roots, repot into fresh well-drained mix in a pot with drainage holes, and ease off the watering.

Fix:

  • Stop watering and let the medium drain
  • Unpot, trim away soft rotted roots, and repot into fresh well-drained mix
  • Use a pot with drainage holes and water only when appropriate
Setback

Fine webbing and a stippled, speckled look to the leaves

Hot, dry air invites spider mites, which gather on the leaf undersides and leave a faint webbing behind. Held to the light, the leaves look stippled with tiny yellow dots. Rinse the foliage, raise the humidity, and treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, keeping the plant apart from the rest until the mites are gone.

Fix:

  • Rinse foliage and increase humidity
  • Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, repeating as directed
  • Isolate affected plant to limit spread
Cosmetic

Brown, crispy tips and edges on the leaves

This is the classic calathea complaint, and the usual culprit is fluoride and chlorine in tap water building up in the leaf tissue. Dry indoor air and salt left behind by heavy feeding make it worse. Switch to distilled water or rainwater, lift the humidity above 60%, and flush the pot now and then to wash out the salts.

Fix:

  • Switch to distilled water or rainwater
  • Raise humidity above 60% with a pebble tray, humidifier, or regular misting
  • Flush the soil periodically to leach out accumulated salts and avoid over-fertilizing
  • Trim off badly browned tips for appearance
Cosmetic

Faded color and bleached patches on the leaves

Too much direct sun causes leaf scorch and washes out the bold medallion pattern. The damage shows up on the leaves that catch the most light, especially harsh afternoon sun. Move the plant into bright indirect light or partial shade, or hang a sheer curtain to soften a bright window.

Fix:

  • Move to a spot with bright indirect light or partial to full shade
  • Avoid direct sun, particularly afternoon sun
  • Filter strong light with a sheer curtain
Cosmetic

Spots and blotches scattered across the foliage

Discrete spots and blotches point to leaf spot disease, which takes hold when the foliage stays wet and the air sits still. Water at the soil instead of over the leaves, open up the space around the plant for better airflow, and pull off the marked leaves.

Fix:

  • Avoid wetting the foliage when watering
  • Improve air circulation
  • Remove affected leaves

Toxicity

Good news for pet owners: the Calathea Medallion is safe. The ASPCA lists Calathea and the prayer plant as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, with no toxic compounds on record. A pet that chews a leaf might get a mild, passing stomach upset from the roughage, the same as with any houseplant, but there is nothing here that will poison an animal or a child.

Safe for

People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds

Cats None

Safe for cats, with no toxic principles on record. A cat that nibbles a leaf might get a little queasy from the roughage, but that is the worst of it.

Dogs None

The ASPCA clears it for dogs. A curious dog can chew the foliage without harm, though a big mouthful may bring a passing bout of mild stomach upset.

Horses None

Listed non-toxic to horses, so it poses no poisoning risk if one happens to graze on it.

Rabbits None

Nothing in the leaves is poisonous to rabbits. Offer only the odd nibble, since their gut handles their usual hay and greens best.

Livestock None

No toxic compounds threaten grazing animals like goats or sheep, though as a tender tropical it is rarely within their reach.

Birds None

The foliage carries no known toxins for birds, so a pet bird perching or pecking among the leaves is in no danger.

People None

Safe to keep around children. It is not grown for eating, but a leaf in a small mouth will not poison anyone.

As with any plant, ingestion of large amounts of foliage may cause mild, transient gastrointestinal upset that is not due to toxicity

Varieties

The Medallion name covers a couple of different species and a few colorful relatives in the same group. These are the ones you'll run into under that label.

Goeppertia veitchiana 'Medallion' (syn. Calathea veitchiana; 'Medaillon')

The plant most often sold as Calathea Medallion is documented by NC State and the RHS as Goeppertia veitchiana, carrying large rounded medallion leaves patterned lime-green and creamy-white on top with a deep burgundy underside.

Goeppertia roseopicta 'Medallion'

NC State Extension also lists a separate Medallion selection under Goeppertia roseopicta, this one with silver-striped dark green upper leaves and purple undersides.

'Dottie'

A roseopicta selection marked by a pink central vein that feathers out across nearly black foliage.

'Rosy'

A roseopicta selection with bright pink leaf centers framed by a thin green edge.

How to propagate

There's only one route to a new Calathea Medallion, but it's reliable once you understand what the plant will and won't do.

DivisionModerate

Late spring, typically at repotting during active growth · Several weeks to a few months for new divisions to root and resume growth

The only way to multiply this plant is by division, since it won't grow from stem or leaf cuttings. Do it in late spring while the plant is growing, usually at repotting time, splitting the rhizome clump into sections that each keep their own roots and shoots. Give the new divisions patience, because they take anywhere from several weeks to a few months to root in and start growing again.

Myths

Myth

Calathea and prayer plants are toxic to pets like many tropical houseplants.

Reality

This one gets calatheas confused with their dangerous tropical neighbors. The ASPCA lists both Calathea and the Prayer Plant as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. You can keep this plant in a home with pets without worry.

Myth

Calathea Medallion is simply a true Calathea.

Reality

Most species once called Calathea, including roseopicta and veitchiana, have been moved into the genus Goeppertia. Kew gives the accepted name as Goeppertia roseopicta, with Calathea roseopicta kept only as a synonym, so the old label lives on in the trade rather than in botany.

Myth

Tap water is fine for a Calathea.

Reality

Calatheas and other prayer plants react badly to the fluoride and chlorine in most tap water, which shows up as brown tips and edges. Distilled water or rainwater keeps the foliage clean, and it is the single change that fixes most leaf-tip browning.

Sources