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Species library › Calathea › Calathea lateralis
Other Partly documented

Calathea lateralis

Calathea lateralis is a tall, 2 to 4 m, clump-forming prayer plant of humid forests from Panama to Bolivia. Unusually for the genus, it bears clusters of flower heads at the leaf nodes along the stems, with green bracts tipped orange. It is a big understorey and forest-edge plant for a warm, humid greenhouse or conservatory rather than a windowsill.

At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry
Light ShadeDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

A terrestrial herb of primary lowland and hill rainforest, alluvial forest along rivers, and humid montane forest, growing in the understorey and in gaps and edges where more light reaches the ground.

GBIF records span about 210 to 2,070 m (highest in Cochabamba, Bolivia); most are lowland to mid-elevation.

PanamaColombiaEcuadorPeruBoliviaBrazil (north)

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

Grow Calathea lateralis? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.