Sign in Start free
Species library › Calathea › Calathea monstera
Other Partly documented

Calathea monstera

Calathea monstera, as its name suggests, is a very large prayer plant, recorded from Panama and western and central Colombia, mostly in premontane forest around 850 m. The sites are mild, wet and humid all year, so it needs steady warmth with slightly cool nights, high humidity, low light and plenty of room.

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 understorey herb of wet forest in Panama and the Colombian Chocó and Andes, inferred from the genus and the record sites. Size is suggested by the name; no detailed species notes were available.

GBIF records run from 10 to 1,475 m, median 853 m.

PanamaColombia

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

Start free Sign in

More Calathea

Calathea lutea Calathea crotalifera Calathea lateralis Calathea utilis Calathea guzmanioides Calathea ischnosiphonoides Calathea lasiostachya Calathea platystachya Calathea erythrolepis Calathea timothei Calathea latrinotecta Calathea anulque All 78 →

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