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

Reference · G. loeseneri

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 tropical understory perennial from the Amazon basin and northwestern South America, this Marantaceae wants warmth, steady humidity, and bright indirect light rather than direct sun, which scorches its foliage. Water when the top inch of mix is dry, keeping it lightly moist but never sodden, as the roots rot if left wet. Use a well-draining mix and avoid letting it stand in water.

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.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

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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 — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.