Houseplant · Marantaceae
Prayer Plant
Maranta leuconeura
Give it soft water, steady moisture, and humid air, and the prayer plant folds its leaves shut every night like clockwork.
Bright indirect
USDA 11–12
6–18 in · 15–46 cm
Overview
The prayer plant earns its name twice over. Its leaves lie flat and open through the day, then rise and fold together at dusk in a shape that looks like a pair of praying hands. It belongs to the Marantaceae family and grows wild on the shaded floor of Brazilian rainforests, which tells you most of what it wants at home.
What pulls people in is the foliage. Each leaf carries bold markings, from red veins running in a herringbone pattern to dark blotches that look like little tracks, all on a background of deep or pale green. It stays small, reaching no more than 18 inches (46 cm) tall, so it fits a shelf, a hanging pot, or a spot on the desk.
It has a reputation for being fussy, and the truth is it just has firm preferences. Soft water, steady moisture, and humid air keep it happy, while tap water and dry rooms turn the leaf edges brown. Meet those needs and it's a rewarding, pet-safe houseplant that puts on a quiet show every evening.
Care
The short version: bright indirect light out of direct sun, soil kept evenly moist with rainwater or filtered water, and high humidity in a warm room above 60°F (15.6°C).
Light
Give the prayer plant bright, indirect light and keep it out of direct sun, which bleaches the markings and scorches the leaves. It will get by in medium or even low light, though the color stays richest in a bright spot with the harsh rays filtered.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist through spring and summer, then ease off from autumn into late winter and let it dry out a little. The bigger issue is what you pour on it, since the plant is sensitive to fluoride, chlorine, and salts in tap water that burn the tips. Rainwater, distilled, or filtered water keeps the leaves clean.
Soil
Plant it in a moist, humusy, well-drained potting mix with a soil base. The mix needs to hold moisture without turning soggy, because standing water at the roots is what brings on rot.
Temperature
Keep it warm and above 60°F (15.6°C). It has no tolerance for cold drafts or chilly windowsills, so move it away from doors and vents in winter.
Humidity
This plant wants high humidity and shows its displeasure with brown, crispy edges in dry air. Set the pot on a tray of wet pebbles or run a humidifier, and group it with other plants to hold moisture around the leaves.
Feeding
Feed monthly with a balanced houseplant fertilizer during the spring and summer growing season, then cut back hard from autumn to late winter. Go light, because over-feeding burns the foliage just as tap water does.
Pruning
It needs little pruning. Snip off any damaged, faded, or brown-tipped leaves to keep it looking tidy, and that's about all it asks.
Repotting
Repot in spring when the roots start crowding the pot or pushing through the drainage holes. This is also the natural time to divide the plant if you want more, since the clump pulls apart cleanly while you have it out.
Size & spacing
It stays compact, reaching 6 to 18 inches (15 to 46 cm) tall and spreading 6 to 24 inches (15 to 61 cm) wide. That low, trailing habit makes it a natural for a hanging pot or the edge of a shelf where the leaves can spill over.
Troubleshooting
Almost every prayer plant complaint shows up in the leaves, and most trace back to water quality, light, or humidity rather than disease. Read the early signs and you can usually fix the cause before the damage spreads. Match what you see below, then adjust.
Wilting, yellow leaves and soft, mushy stems
When soil stays soggy, root rot sets in and the roots turn brown and soft instead of firm and pale. Lift the plant, cut away the rotted roots, and repot it into fresh, well-drained mix. From there, water only when the plant actually needs it and never let the pot sit in standing water.
Fix:
- Remove from soggy soil and trim rotted roots
- Repot into fresh well-drained mix
- Water only when appropriate and ensure drainage
Fine webbing and pinprick yellow speckling on the leaves
Hot, dry air invites spider mites, which gather on the leaf undersides and leave fine webbing and tiny yellow stipples behind. Rinse the foliage, push the humidity up, and treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Keep the plant away from the rest of your collection until the mites are gone.
Fix:
- Rinse foliage and raise humidity
- Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil
- Isolate affected plant
Brown, crispy tips and edges on the leaves
This is leaf burn, and it usually traces back to the minerals in tap water rather than anything you did wrong. Fluoride, chlorine, and salt build up at the leaf edges, and heavy feeding in dry air makes it worse. Switch to rainwater, distilled, or filtered water, ease off the fertilizer, and lift the humidity around the plant.
Fix:
- Use rainwater, distilled or filtered/dechlorinated water
- Reduce fertilizer frequency and strength
- Raise humidity (humidified room or pot on a tray of wet pebbles)
- Trim damaged tips for appearance
Washed-out color and bleached patches on the leaves
Too much direct sun is the culprit when that red and green variegation fades and pale, scorched spots appear. The prayer plant evolved on a shaded forest floor and burns where harsh light hits it. Move it into bright indirect light and filter any strong window sun.
Fix:
- Move to bright indirect light out of direct sun
- Filter strong window light
Leaves stay flat at night instead of folding up
A healthy prayer plant raises and folds its leaves each evening like a pair of praying hands, so leaves that stay flat point to poor light or general stress rather than disease. The color usually still looks fine. Give the plant bright indirect light through the day and real darkness at night, and fix any watering, humidity, or temperature problems pulling it off balance.
Fix:
- Provide adequate bright indirect light during the day and natural darkness at night
- Correct watering, humidity and temperature to reduce stress
Toxicity
Good news for pet owners: the prayer plant is safe to have around the house. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, with no toxic compounds in the leaves. A pet that eats a lot might get a mild, short-lived stomach upset, but there's no real poisoning risk to anyone.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Safe for cats. The ASPCA finds no toxic principles, though a cat that chews a lot of foliage might have a brief, mild stomach upset.
Dogs None
Safe for dogs as well, with nothing toxic in the leaves. A big mouthful can still leave a dog a little queasy for a short while.
Horses Safe
The ASPCA clears the prayer plant for horses too. There's no poison here, so a curious nibble does no harm.
Rabbits Safe
No toxic compounds means a rabbit can be around the plant without danger, though it isn't a substitute for its normal forage.
Livestock Safe
Nothing in the foliage poses a poisoning risk to grazing animals. As a tropical houseplant, it rarely crosses their path anyway.
Birds Safe
Pet birds are in no danger from this one. The leaves carry no toxins, so a bit of perching or pecking won't hurt them.
People Safe
Safe to keep around children. There's no poison in the plant, even if it isn't grown to be eaten.
Although non-toxic, ingestion of plant material can still cause mild gastrointestinal upset in pets
Varieties
A few named forms turn up most often, set apart mainly by their leaf markings. These are the ones worth knowing.
var. erythroneura (Herringbone / red-veined prayer plant)
The showiest form, with a bright red midrib and red veins branching across dark green leaves in a herringbone pattern.
var. kerchoveana (Rabbit's-foot / rabbit tracks)
A paler green form marked by two rows of dark blotches down each leaf that gardeners liken to rabbit tracks.
How to propagate
The prayer plant is easy to multiply, and spring is the moment to do it, whether you split an established clump or root a cutting.
DivisionEasy
Spring, at repotting · Several weeks
The simplest way to make more is to divide the plant in spring while you're repotting it. Tease the clump apart into sections, making sure each piece keeps its own roots and shoots, then pot them up separately. Each division takes several weeks to settle in and start growing again.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Spring to summer · Several weeks to root
Unlike its Calathea cousins, Maranta also roots from stem cuttings taken just below a node in spring or summer. Set the cutting in moist mix and give it warmth and humidity. Expect it to take several weeks to put out roots.
Myths
The prayer plant is toxic to cats and dogs.
The ASPCA lists the prayer plant and the wider Maranta group as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, with no toxic principles on record. It's a safe choice for a home with pets, even if a big nibble might cause a passing stomach upset.
The leaves fold up at night for religious reasons.
The nightly folding is nyctinasty, a natural day and night sleep movement, not anything mystical. The leaves rise and close upward after dark in a shape that resembles praying hands, which is exactly where the common name comes from.