Prayer Plant

The prayer plant is named for its nightly ritual: as the light fades, the patterned leaves fold upward like a pair of praying hands, then open again at dawn. Combined with the herringbone red veining and deep-green blotches, it's one of the most characterful foliage plants you can grow — and a close, slightly easier cousin of calathea.

It asks for the same care: even moisture, high humidity, and gentle light out of direct sun. Like calathea it prefers filtered or rainwater to avoid browning tips. It naturally grows low and spreading, so it suits a hanging basket or the front of a shelf where the trailing, folding leaves can be seen.

Medium to bright indirect; direct sun bleaches the markings. Tolerates lower light reasonably well.