medium light (4-8 feet from a bright window, or close to a north window. Under a grow light, 8-12 inches works well)Light

Keep the soil moist but not wet. Water when the top half inch has dried out. And here's the part most people skip: use distilled water, rainwater, or at least tap water that's sat out overnight. Orbifolia is extremely sensitive to fluoride and chlorine. Doing everything right and still getting brown tips? It's your water.Water

60%+Humidity

65-75°FTemperature

advancedDifficulty

Calathea Orbifolia

Goeppertia orbifolia

Advanced

The leaves fold up at night like they're going to sleep, which is charming until you realize this plant will throw a fit if you look at it wrong. Available seasonally because we only sell specimens we're confident in.

Buy This Plant - $22.00

Care Guide

How to grow Calathea Orbifolia

Light

medium light (4-8 feet from

Water

Keep the soil moist but not wet.

Humidity

60%

Temperature

65-75°F

Soil

Equal parts coconut coir (or

Propagation

Division is your only option,

Common Problems

60%

Did You Know

Fun Facts

The leaves fold upward at night! It's called nyctinasty, driven by water pressure changes in specialized motor cells at the base of each leaf. The whole Marantaceae family does this, which is why they're called prayer plants.

This species wasn't officially described until 1982 by botanist Helen Kennedy. In botanical terms, that's basically yesterday. Then in 2012 the whole genus got renamed from Calathea to Goeppertia. So if you see either name, it's the same plant!

Plant people call it Dramathea because it reacts to the smallest changes like a teenager who just found out the WiFi is down. Switch water brands? Brown tips in 24 hours. Humidity dip? Curled leaves by morning. It keeps you honest.

Pet Safety

Pet safe

Non-toxic to cats, dogs, and humans! One of the few plants on this page that's completely safe for a house full of curious pets.