PlantMap
← Back to list

Maranta leuconeura É.Morren

Prayer plant

Native records: 3 botanical areas

Brazil West-Central, Brazil Northeast, Brazil Southeast

See all areas

Natural distribution

Explore map
NativeIntroducedUncertain

Distribution is shown as WGSRPD Level 3 areas. It does not imply the species occurs throughout an entire area.

Last updated:

Distribution last verified:

See sources

Photograph of Maranta leuconeura

A Marantaceae houseplant known for its striking leaf patterns and nyctinastic leaf movement—flat by day, erect by night like praying hands. Native to Brazilian tropical rainforests.

Description

A rhizomatous perennial that spreads horizontally via creeping stems, forming carpets. Oval leaves reach about 12 cm long with distinctive markings along the veins. Leaves lie flat during the day and fold upward at night in a nyctinastic 'prayer' movement. Small white to pale purple flowers are produced, but the plant is primarily valued for its ornamental foliage and often does not flower indoors. Numerous cultivars exist with varying colors and patterns.

Habitat

Native to the tropical rainforest understory of Brazil. Prefers moist, bright indirect light and well-drained, humus-rich soil. Spreads horizontally, rooting at each node to form mat-like colonies on the forest floor.

Distribution areas

  • Brazil

    • Brazil NortheastNative
    • Brazil SoutheastNative
    • Brazil West-CentralNative

  • Colombia

    • ColombiaIntroduced

  • Mexico

    • Mexico GulfIntroduced

Climate of the native range

The Köppen climate classes found in the areas this plant is recorded as native to. It does not mean an entire area has that climate.

  • Aw Tropical, savannah
  • BSh Arid, steppe, hot
  • Cwa Temperate, dry winter, hot summer

The same climate occurs in 71 areas worldwide, 68 of which have no record of this plant. See them on the map

A matching climate does not mean the plant can grow there. Range limits are also set by things other than climate — dispersal history, soils, competition. Source: Beck et al. (2023), CC BY 4.0 (observed period 1991–2020).

Other names

Prayer plant、Banded arrowroot、Herringbone plant、Ten Commandments

Family
Marantaceae
Genus
Maranta

Other species in Maranta

Sources

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Brazil · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Colombia · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Mexico · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

Image information