Calathea majestica White Star - Majestic prayer plant

Calathea (Goeppertia) majestica 'White Star' is a tropical houseplant with particularly attractive foliage, striped with creamy white and pink on a dark green background. Its long, oblong leaves, ending in a point, unfurl on slender, upright petioles and fold up in the evening, following the rhythm of the light. This beautiful variety adds character to a bright living room, a reading nook, or a bedroom, provided its requirements are met.

Native to the rainforests of South America, the species Goeppertia majestica belongs to the Marantaceae family. It is found in shaded undergrowth, from sea level to low hills, particularly in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Guyana, and northern Brazil.
The cultivar 'White Star' is a horticultural selection marketed under the names Goeppertia majestica 'Whitestar' or Calathea majestica 'White Star'. In a pot, this rhizomatous perennial adopts an upright habit and forms a dense clump, 80 cm to 1 m tall and 45 to 60 cm wide. The leaves oblong and tapered leaves easily reach 30 to 35 cm in length; their upper, medium to dark green surface is crossed by fine stripes of creamy white, sometimes tinged with pink, running from the central vein to the edge, while the underside displays a velvety purplish violet. As with other Goeppertia, a swelling at the base of the lamina allows the leaves to rise in the evening and lower in the morning. The flowering, consisting of small pale bracts, is rare indoors; it is the architectural foliage that makes this plant so interesting.
Like all calatheas, it is considered non-toxic to pets.

Indoors, this variety thrives in filtered to bright but always indirect light, high humidity, and stable temperatures, around 18 to 24 °C, without dropping consistently below 15 °C. It is a somewhat demanding plant, but within reach of tropical plant enthusiasts: it is a little more particular than other Calatheas regarding air humidity and water quality.

In a bright living room, bedroom, or bathroom with a window, the foliage of Calathea 'White Star' can be observed up close. Place it in a ceramic cache-pot in sandy, grey, or dusty pink tones, and position it on a low bench, a light wood plant stand, or a stool not far from a window with a sheer curtain. Around it, create a collector's corner with an Anthurium forgetii with large rounded leaves veined in silver, a Syngonium 'Neon Robusta' with pink leading shoots, a Syngonium wendlandii with velvety green striated with silver, and an Alocasia azlanii with metallic purple reflections.