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Prayer plant

How to identify Prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura)

Prayer plant, also known as Rabbit's foot

Prayer plant is characterized by its eye-catching ovate leaves, with edges that remain smooth. Each leaf showcases a distinctive dark, rabbit track-like pattern alongside the midrib, and a striking red 'fishbone' vein design. The plant exhibits a fascinating behavior as the leaves elevate to a vertical 'prayer' position at night. The underside of each leaf presents either a light grey-green or red/purple hue, enhancing its ornamental appeal. Typically, it maintains a low stature with oblong leaves that taper off to a truncate apex. The variegation along the midrib transitions from a light green to a soft yellow. This plant thrives in environments with bright, indirect light and high humidity, emblematic of its lush, vibrant foliage.

Lifespan

Lifespan: Perennial

Plant Type

Plant Type: Herb

Leaf Type

Leaf Type: Evergreen

Quickly Identify Prayer plant

1

Ovate leaves with rabbit track-like patterns and red 'fishbone' veins.

2

Leaves elevate to a vertical 'prayer' position at night.

3

Distinctive dark variegation transitioning to a soft yellow along midrib.

4

Thrives in bright, indirect light and high humidity.

5

Stems are short, rhizomatous, and grow horizontally below the soil surface.

Prayer plantPrayer plantPrayer plantPrayer plantPrayer plant

Detailed Traits of Prayer plant

Leaf Features

Prayer plant leaves are alternate, crowded, and oblong-elliptic, measuring around 4-8 inches (10-20 cm) in length. They have a broadly elliptical shape with a truncate apex and a short sharp acumen. Their base is rotund, and margins are entire with pale green edges. The upper side is medium to dark green variegated with pale green to yellow markings at the midrib, featuring prominent red veins in a fishbone pattern. The underside is reddish to burgundy. Leaves exhibit sleep movement, becoming erect at night, and have long, sheathing petioles.

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Flower Features

Prayer plant flowers are insignificantly small and range from whitish to purplish in color. They exhibit a zygomorphic structure and are two-lipped, typically displaying 2-5 petals. The corolla tube is green, while the sepals are thin and the bracts are persistent and papery. Flowers appear in a raceme inflorescence atop slender stalks. Staminodes are petaloid. Individual flowers are generally less than 0.5 inches (1.27 cm) in size, making them modest yet distinctive.

Prayer plant Flower imagePrayer plant Flower imagePrayer plant Flower image
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Stem Features

The stems of prayer plant are short and rhizomatous, often growing horizontally just below the soil surface. They are typically slender, measuring about 0.1 to 0.2 inches (2.5 to 5 mm) in diameter. The texture of the stem is smooth, and the color ranges from pale green to slightly reddish. These stems exhibit a creeping habit and form a network of underground rhizomes, which contribute to the plant's propagation and stability.

Prayer plant Stem image
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Key Facts About Prayer plant

Attributes of Prayer plant
Lifespan
Perennial
Plant Type
Herb
Plant Height
30 cm to 38 cm
Spread
30 cm to 38 cm
Leaf Color
Green
Red
White
Gray
Variegated
Silver
Flower Size
2.5 cm
Flower Color
White
Purple
Fruit Color
Brown
Stem Color
Green
Gray
Silver
Leaf type
Evergreen
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Scientific Classification of Prayer plant

Family
Arrowroot
Icon allow
Species
Prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura)
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Distribution Map of Prayer plant

Prayer plant is native to Brazil, where it grows in tropical rainforests. It has been introduced in Colombia and Mexico's Gulf Coast, where it is sometimes grown as ground cover. Prayer plant is widely cultivated for use as a houseplant in the US.
Native
Cultivated
Invasive
Potentially invasive
Exotic
No species reported
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