30 Calathea Plants With Eye-Catching Leaf Patterns

Much like nature’s own artwork gallery, Calathea plants transform indoor spaces with their mesmerizing leaf patterns and rich color variations. You’ll discover that each variety showcases its own signature design, from the velvety silver stripes of Warscewiczii to the peacock-like spots of Makoyana. Whether you’re a novice plant parent or a seasoned collector, these living masterpieces offer an intriguing range of options to explore, with some varieties reaching impressive heights of three feet.

1. Calathea Warscewiczii’s Silver Stripes

Calathea Warscewiczii features striking silver stripes that radiate from its central vein outward across dark green, velvety leaves. The undersides of its elongated leaves display a deep purple hue, creating a dramatic contrast when the foliage moves. This variety’s distinctive pattern resembles fishbones, earning it the nickname “Jungle Velvet” among plant enthusiasts. The plant grows up to 2-3 feet tall and produces tightly clustered leaves that emerge from a central crown.

2. Calathea Makoyana’s Peacock Spots

Calathea Makoyana, commonly known as the Peacock Plant, features distinctive oval-shaped leaves adorned with intricate feather-like patterns. The leaves showcase dark green margins with lighter green central portions, decorated with alternating rows of deep purple-brown spots resembling peacock feathers. This pattern is particularly striking on the underside of the leaves, where the spots appear in a rich burgundy color against a purple-tinged background.

3. Calathea Ornata’s Pink Stripes

The Calathea ornata, also known as the Pinstripe Plant, features striking pink or white linear stripes that radiate outward from its midrib against dark green leaves. These delicate lines create a dramatic contrast on the elongated oval leaves, which can grow up to 12 inches in length. When new leaves emerge, they display a rich purple underside, adding to the plant’s ornamental appeal. Like other Calathea varieties, the ornata exhibits nyctinastic movement, with leaves folding upward at night and reopening in the morning.

4. Calathea Lancifolia’s Rattlesnake Pattern

The Calathea lancifolia, commonly known as the Rattlesnake Plant, features long, narrow leaves with distinctive wavy dark green spots against a lighter green background, resembling the pattern of a rattlesnake’s skin. These markings run along both sides of the leaf’s central vein, while the undersides display a deep purple hue, creating a striking contrast when the leaves move throughout the day in response to light.

5. Calathea Roseopicta’s Rose Stripes

The Calathea roseopicta exhibits stunning pink and rose-colored stripes that radiate outward from the center of each leaf, creating a painterly effect against the dark green background. These distinctive markings, combined with the leaves’ silvery sheen and purple undersides, make it one of the most visually striking members of the Calathea family. The stripes maintain their vibrant coloration throughout the plant’s life, though intensity may vary depending on growing conditions.

Other Calathea roseopicta varieties:

6. Calathea Zebrina’s Bold Stripes

The Calathea zebrina, commonly known as the Zebra Plant, features dramatic striped foliage with alternating dark green and light green markings that resemble zebra stripes. These bold stripes run from the center vein to the leaf margins, creating a striking visual pattern on its large, velvety, oval-shaped leaves. The undersides of the leaves display a deep purple hue, adding to the plant’s ornamental appeal.

7. Calathea Musaica’s Mosaic Squares

Calathea Musaica, also known as Network Calathea or Goeppertia kegeljanii, features distinctive leaf patterns that resemble intricate mosaic tiles or a complex network of tiny squares. The small, geometric patterns form a mesmerizing tapestry across each leaf, with light green lines creating a grid-like effect against a darker green background, making it one of the most uniquely patterned Calathea varieties.

8. Calathea White Star’s Frosty

Calathea White Star is a stunning tropical plant known for its silvery-white striped leaves with dark green backgrounds and purple undersides. This compact variety of Calathea features elongated, oval-shaped foliage that displays intricate patterns resembling frost or delicate brushstrokes. Like other prayer plants, its leaves move throughout the day, folding upward at night and opening during daylight hours.

9. Calathea Louisae’s Metallic Web

The Calathea Louisae, commonly known as Metallic Web Calathea, features striking foliage with a silvery-white web-like pattern against dark green leaves. This tropical beauty displays intricate markings that resemble delicate threads or veins spreading across each leaf surface, creating a mesmerizing metallic sheen when light hits them. The undersides of the leaves are a rich purple color, adding to its ornamental appeal. Like other Calathea varieties, it exhibits nyctinastic movement, with leaves folding upward at night and opening during the day.

10. Calathea Crocata’s Orange Spikes

The Calathea crocata, also known as the Eternal Flame plant, stands out from other Calathea varieties due to its striking orange-yellow flower spikes that emerge from dark green foliage. Unlike most Calatheas that are grown primarily for their decorative leaves, the crocata is celebrated for its long-lasting bright flowers that resemble small flames or torches rising above the leaves, blooming multiple times throughout the year when conditions are right.

11. Calathea Beauty Star’s Purple

Calathea Beauty Star’s purple undersides create a stunning contrast with its dark green upper leaf surfaces, which feature elegant silvery-white pinstripe markings radiating from the central vein. This striking prayer plant variety exhibits the characteristic daily leaf movement of lifting its leaves at night and lowering them during the day, making it an especially dynamic choice for indoor spaces.

12. Calathea Orbifolia’s Giant Leaves

Calathea orbifolia features large, striking circular leaves that can grow up to 12 inches in diameter. The leaves display distinctive silvery-green stripes that radiate from the central vein to the leaf margins, creating a mesmerizing pattern. These giant leaves grow on long petioles and have a slightly rounded shape, making them a stunning focal point in any indoor space. The plant’s impressive size and elegant leaf patterns make it one of the most sought-after Calathea varieties.