Plant library / Safe for cats & dogs
Prayer Plant (Calathea)
Goeppertia orbifolia
Non-toxic to cats and dogs
Beautiful but demanding. Wants high humidity, filtered water, and evenly moist soil — never soggy, never bone dry.
Toxicity
Safe
Not known to be toxic to cats.
Safe
Not known to be toxic to dogs.
Source — ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, toxic and non-toxic plant list; read from this species' own page
Pet-safety information is a general guide from the ASPCA's toxic-plant database and covers cats and dogs only. "If eaten" summarises the symptoms ASPCA lists for that plant; how an animal actually reacts depends on how much it ate and on the animal. It isn't exhaustive, isn't veterinary advice, and individual animals vary — never rely on it as the sole basis for a decision about your pet. If you think your pet has eaten a harmful plant, contact a vet immediately.
Care
- WaterEvery 5–7 days
- LightMedium light
- HumidityHigh humidity
- Temperature18–24 °C
The same interval the Sabz app schedules reminders from. In autumn and winter the app stretches it; see houseplants in autumn.
Common problems
Calathea crispy brown edges
Crisp brown edges on a calathea are dry air and tap-water minerals, the two things it tolerates least. Raise the humidity — group it with other plants, stand it on a tray of wet gravel, keep it out of the living room in winter — and water with rainwater or filtered water. It wants to stay lightly, evenly moist, never dry and never sodden.
Calathea leaves curling
Leaves that curl inwards along their length are the plant conserving water: the compost has dried out, or the light is too strong. Check the compost first — if it is dry, soak it from below; if it is moist, move the plant out of direct sun. The leaves uncurl within a day once the cause is fixed.
Calathea pattern fading
The markings fading to a washed-out green means too much direct sun — the pattern is a shade adaptation and bleaches in bright light. Move it to bright but indirect light, a metre or more from a sunny window. The faded leaves stay faded; the new ones will come in patterned.
Similar plants
- Arrowhead Plant toxicSyngonium podophyllum
- Nerve Plant safeFittonia albivenis
- Peace Lily toxicSpathiphyllum wallisii
- Prayer Plant (Maranta) safeMaranta leuconeura
In the app
Add a prayer plant (calathea) to Sabz and the watering interval above becomes a reminder, the toxicity verdict sits on the plant's own page, and when a leaf turns, the Check-up reads what you have actually logged to say why.
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