Species · genus Goeppertia · Marantaceae

Zebraplant

Goeppertia zebrina (Sims) Nees

Also known as: Zebra Calathea · Zebra-plant

Growth habit

perennial

Native range

Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast

Reference · G. zebrina

Cultivars of G. zebrina

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

No named cultivars catalogued under G. zebrina 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.

Goeppertia zebrina is a perennial from the humid forest understory of eastern and southern Brazil, a Marantaceae grown for its soft, velvety, banded foliage. As an understory plant it wants warmth, bright indirect light rather than direct sun, and consistently humid air; let the top inch of mix approach dry before watering, but do not let it dry out fully. It is sensitive to mineral buildup, so water steadily without leaving the roots sitting wet.

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

16–27 °C

Soil mix

Peat-based, airy mix that holds moisture yet drains

Propagation

Division of the rhizome at repotting

Fertilizing

Dilute balanced feed monthly in spring and summer

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Grown for foliage; rarely flowers indoors

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 Zebraplant 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.