Houseplant · Marantaceae
Calathea White Fusion
Goeppertia lietzei 'White Fusion'
Sort out the water and humidity and this living watercolour hands you brushstroked leaves in return.
Bright indirect
61–75°F · 16–24°C
USDA 11–12
4–20 in · 10–50 cm
Overview
Calathea White Fusion is honestly the showpiece of the prayer plant family, with leaves that look hand-painted in marbled green and white and a soft lilac wash on the underside. Its proper name these days is Goeppertia lietzei 'White Fusion', ever since the genus broke away from Calathea, but plenty of growers still call it by the old one. It hails from the floor of the Brazilian rainforest, and that shady, humid background pretty much explains everything about keeping it happy.
It's got a reputation, and yeah, it kind of lives up to it. The white parts of the leaf barely have any chlorophyll, which is exactly what makes them so pretty and so delicate, fast to scorch in the sun and fast to brown at the edges in hard water or dry air. Throw in slow growth and not much patience for slip-ups, and you've got a plant that's best for someone who doesn't mind a little fussing.
Once you're past the fussy side, though, there's a lot to love. The leaves fold up at night and open again come morning, a quirk called prayer movement that's how the whole family got its name. Keep the humidity up, the water clean, and the light bright but never direct, and you'll get some of the most eye-catching foliage you can grow indoors.
Care
The short version: bright indirect light with no direct sun, clean water that isn't straight out of the tap, soil that stays evenly moist, and humidity above 60% kept as steady as you can manage.
Light
Give it bright indirect light and keep it out of direct sun, which scorches that pale white tissue in no time. It'll cope with partial shade or medium indirect light too, but go too dim and the new leaves come in small and weak with their colour washed out. An east or west window, or just a few feet back from a bright one, is right where it wants to be.
Water
Keep the compost evenly moist through spring and summer, then ease off to just moist in winter. Water from below or down at the soil and keep it off the leaves. The big one is what you're pouring in, because tap water salts, chlorine, and fluoride brown the edges, so go with distilled water, rainwater, or tap water that's stood for 24 hours.
Soil
Pop it in a moist but well-drained mix, peaty or loam-based, with some perlite mixed in for drainage. Peat-free compost works just as well if that's what you've got. It's not picky about pH and handles anything from 6.0 to 8.0.
Temperature
Keep it warm and steady, somewhere between 61°F and 75°F (16°C to 24°C). It really doesn't like cold draughts or sudden swings, so keep it away from doorways and chilly windowsills. And don't ever let it dip below 16°C.
Humidity
This is the one that really makes or breaks it. Shoot for humidity above 60%, and the higher the better, since dry air is what crisps up the edges and brings in spider mites. A humidifier keeps it the steadiest, but a pebble tray or grouping it with other plants helps out too.
Feeding
Feed it once a month through the growing season, April to September, with a balanced liquid fertiliser at the usual strength. Then knock it off over winter while growth slows down. It's a slow grower, so it never really needs much feeding.
Pruning
Pruning's easy with this one. Just snip off any dead, browned, or damaged leaves at the base, and take off leaves with loads of crispy edges or scorched white patches to keep it looking nice. That's pretty much all it asks.
Repotting
Repot it every few years in spring or summer, whenever you notice roots circling the pot or poking out the drainage holes, the plant drying out quicker than it used to, or weak new growth. Just bump it up one pot size into fresh mix. And while you're at it, that's the perfect time to divide it.
Size & spacing
It's a little thing, really, topping out at just 4 to 20 inches (10 to 50 cm) tall and about the same across, and it takes its sweet time getting there over several years. That compact size makes it super easy to fit on a shelf, a desk, or in a grouped display where the humidity stays high.
Troubleshooting
Pretty much every issue with this plant turns up on the leaves, and most of them come back to water, light, or humidity. Catch the early signs and you can usually sort out the cause before it spreads. Just match what you're seeing below to figure out what's likely going on.
Drooping and yellowing even though the soil's still wet
If the plant's flopping over in soggy soil, that's the textbook sign of root rot from overwatering. The roots go brown and mushy instead of firm and pale, so they just can't take up water anymore. Back off the watering and let the pot drain right out, then repot into fresh, well-drained mix, trim away anything rotted, and make sure the pot's got drainage holes.
Fix:
- Reduce watering frequency and let excess drain fully
- Repot into fresh, well-drained mix, removing rotted roots
- Ensure the pot has drainage holes
Bleached, scorched spots on the white parts of the leaves
Ever notice the white bits brown faster than the green ones? That's because they hold hardly any chlorophyll, so direct sun scorches them way before it would touch a green leaf. You'll spot the damage on whatever leaves catch the most light, right across the pale areas. Just nudge the plant out of direct sun into bright indirect light, or hang a sheer curtain to take the edge off a strong window.
Fix:
- Move out of direct sun to a bright spot with indirect light or light shade
- Use an east/west-facing position or diffuse strong light with a sheer curtain
Silvery, speckled leaves with fine webbing underneath
See fine webbing under the leaves and a dusty, silvery look on top? That usually means spider mites, and they love to move in when the air's dry. Give the foliage a rinse and wipe the undersides, bump up the humidity so the plant's less appealing to them, and treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, doing it again whenever the label says.
Fix:
- Rinse foliage and wipe undersides of leaves
- Raise humidity, as mites thrive in dry conditions
- Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, repeating per label
Crispy brown edges and tips showing up on the leaves
This is the one almost everyone runs into, and nine times out of ten it comes down to tap water. The salts, chlorine, and fluoride in it build up inside the leaf and burn the edges, and dry air or patchy watering just makes things worse. So switch to distilled water, rainwater, or tap water that's sat out for a full day, keep humidity above 60%, and snip off the worst edges to tidy things up.
Fix:
- Switch to distilled water, rainwater, or tap water left to stand 24 hours so chlorine evaporates
- Raise humidity above 60% with a pebble tray, grouping, or humidifier
- Keep compost evenly moist, never letting it fully dry out
- Trim severely browned edges for appearance
New leaves coming in green, small, or a bit weak
When the fresh leaves show up greener and smaller than the older ones, it's the plant's way of asking for more light. Too little light also leaves it thin and stretched out. Move it somewhere brighter with bright indirect light, steer clear of those dim corners, and before long the new leaves come back with their proper colour.
Fix:
- Move to a brighter spot with bright indirect light
- Avoid deep shade or low-light corners
Toxicity
Good news if you've got pets: this one is a safe plant to have around. The ASPCA lists Calathea and prayer plants as non-toxic to cats and dogs, with nothing poisonous in them, so a curious nibble isn't going to hurt anyone. The only small thing to know is that the sap can bug sensitive skin, so give your hands a quick rinse after pruning.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
Got a cat? No problem here, since the ASPCA lists this one as non-toxic to cats. A cat that scarfs down a lot of any houseplant might feel a little off for a bit, but there's nothing poisonous going on.
Dogs Safe
Dogs are fine around it too. A pup that chews on a leaf might drool a bit or have a soft stool for a day, same as with most plants, but the leaves don't hold anything that'll hurt it.
Horses Safe
Prayer plants in this family are non-toxic to horses, with no toxic stuff in them at all. A horse isn't likely to bump into a houseplant anyway, and even if it did, there'd be no harm done.
Rabbits Safe
A rabbit can nibble a leaf and be totally fine. There aren't any toxins to fret about, though a big pile of any new greens can upset a rabbit's tummy for a little while.
Livestock Safe
Grazing animals won't find any toxic compounds in this plant. It's a tropical houseplant, so it stays well away from where they feed, and it wouldn't poison them even if they got to it.
Birds Safe
Pet birds are good to go. There's nothing toxic in the leaves, so a bird that lands on the plant or has a peck at a leaf won't come to any harm.
People Safe
It's safe to keep around kids. The only little catch is that the sap can leave a faint skin irritation on sensitive folks, so just rinse your hands after pruning.
Although classified non-toxic, NC State notes the sap may cause minor skin irritation/contact dermatitis in sensitive individuals; ingestion of any plant material can still cause mild gastrointestinal upset
How to propagate
There's really just one way to make more of this plant, and the nice part is it doubles as a chance to freshen up a crowded pot.
DivisionModerate
Late spring, typically at repotting · Several weeks to a few months
Want more of these? Division's your only option, because this plant just won't grow from a stem or leaf cutting. The sweet spot is late spring, usually right when you're repotting anyway. Gently pull the rhizomatous clump apart into chunks, each one with its own roots and shoots, and pot them up separately. Keep the new divisions warm and humid and they'll settle in over the next few weeks to a few months.
Myths
Calatheas, including this prayer plant, are poisonous to cats and dogs.
It's actually the complete opposite. The ASPCA lists both Calathea and Prayer Plant, which are in the Marantaceae family, as non-toxic to cats and dogs alike. So you can keep one in a house full of pets and not give it a second thought.
The correct botanical name for this plant is Calathea lietzei.
That name's a bit behind the times now. Kew's Plants of the World Online lists Goeppertia lietzei as the accepted name, with Calathea lietzei hanging on as a synonym. Loads of plants that used to be Calatheas have since been shuffled over to Goeppertia, Ctenanthe, and Stromanthe.
You can water a Calathea with ordinary tap water.
Here's the thing: tap water is usually what's behind those brown edges. The salts, chlorine, and fluoride in it pile up in the tissue and burn the margins. So go with distilled water or rainwater instead, or just let tap water sit out for 24 hours so the chlorine can clear off.