Species · genus Goeppertia · Marantaceae

Calathea loeseneri

Goeppertia loeseneri (J.F.Macbr.) Borchs. & S.Suárez

Also known as: Brazilian Star Calathea · Brazilian Star

Growth habit

perennial

Native range

Brazil North, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

Goeppertia loeseneri — reference photo — Daderot · CC0

Cultivars of G. loeseneri

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under G. loeseneri yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A Lotus-Flowered Goeppertia

Goeppertia loeseneri, once known as Calathea loeseneri, is a rhizomatous evergreen perennial in the Marantaceae family, grown chiefly for its patterned foliage. In cultivation it is sometimes sold under the name Lotus Pink, a nod to its soft pink blooms.

Source: RHS

Roots in South America

This species is native to a broad swath of western South America into northern Brazil, with confirmed populations in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. It is a perennial of the wet tropical biome, and it has also found use locally as a medicine.

Source: Kew

Lotus-Pink Blooms and Foliage

The plant takes its common name, Lotus Pink, from its soft, lotus-shaped pink flowers, a rare sight in many Calathea relatives grown indoors. Its leaves are a vibrant light green, marked by a midrib that runs pale green to white.

Source: Epic Gardening

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 10 days

Humidity

High

Temperature

18–27 °C

Soil mix

Airy, moisture-retentive mix of peat/coir with perlite

Propagation

Division of the rootball at repotting

Fertilizing

Diluted balanced feed monthly through the growing season

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Can produce orange-and-yellow flower spikes indoors in good conditions

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Non-toxic to cats & dogs

Prayer-plant family (Marantaceae). ASPCA lists Calathea insignis (= Goeppertia insignis) non-toxic; the genus is uniformly safe. This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ASPCA

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Calathea loeseneri yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.