Rattlesnake plant
Also called Calathea lancifolia, Maranta insignis.
| Light | medium light |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 5 days in the growing season, every 10 in winter |
| Pets | Cats safe, dogs safe |
Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control, toxic and non-toxic plants, Calathea Lancifolia entry.
Long wavy leaves marked in alternating dark blotches down a pale green ground, with a deep purple underside that shows every evening when the plant folds itself up. That folding is what the family is named for, and it is the easiest way to tell a healthy one: a plant that stops moving at night is a plant in trouble. Like the rest of its relatives it wants shade rather than sun, steady moisture rather than a soak and dry cycle, and soft water. Hard tap water is the single commonest reason these end up with brown edges. It is fussier than most things in this journal, and it is on the short list of plants the ASPCA lists as safe for cats and dogs.
Ailments observed
| Brown crisp edges on the leaves | Hard tap water, dry air, or both together. Switch to rainwater or filtered water and raise the humidity. Once an edge has browned it stays brown, so judge the change on the new leaves. |
|---|---|
| Leaves curling inwards or under | Dry compost, or a cold draught. Water it and move it away from the door. Some curling at night is normal, because the whole family folds its leaves up in the dark. |
Filed underPlants that will not poison the cat, Plants for a bathroom, Plants for humid air
Neighbouring entries
African violet
Streptocarpus ionanthusAfrican violet care that keeps it flowering all year, with why you water from below, what makes the pale rings on the leaves, and how to root a single leaf.
Alocasia
Alocasia x amazonicaAlocasia care with the humidity and warmth it insists on, why it drops leaves in winter, and what the tuber is doing when the plant looks dead.
Asparagus fern
Asparagus densiflorusNot a fern at all but an asparagus, in soft green plumes that turn out to have thorns. Easy, fast, and toxic to cats and dogs.