Calathea Vittata - Live Plant in a 6 Inch Pot - Calathea Elliptica Vittata - Beautiful Easy to Grow Air Purifying Indoor Plant

Calathea elliptica is a species of the genus Calathea that comprises of about 300 species and many cultivars and hybrid that are popularly grown for their exquisitely colored and patterned foliage. ‘Vittata’ is an attractive horticultural cultivar with a moderate growth rate. It is a low rosette herb with evergreen, leathery, glabrous and simple leaves that are elliptical in shape and up to 30 cm long and 13 cm wide. The upper surface of leaves is medium green and attractively marked with white lines running parallel to the lateral veins. The underside is light green. Its downy petioles or stems, emerging from rhizomatous roots are of varying heights, reaching up to 35 cm tall. Like many species of the Marantaceae family, Calathea elliptica ‘Vittata’ has the characteristic feature of folding up their leaves at dusk to dawn by means of the tiny geniculum, an angular knee-like joint connecting it to the petiole, resembling hands put together in prayer, hence the other common name, Prayer Plant. To keep plant tidy, cut off brown and withered leaves, together with petioles and spent flower heads if any. It likes to be pot-bound, so only repot when the need to propagate arises. It does not tolerate dryness in the air and requires high humidity to prevent browning of leaf margins, hence mist it regularly to maintain humidity as well as to keep it dust-free.