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Species library › Calathea › Calathea retroflexa
Other Partly documented

Calathea retroflexa

Calathea retroflexa is a Costa Rican montane species described by Helen Kennedy in 1997, recorded from 1,050 m to over 2,300 m. It is one of the cooler-growing calatheas, from cloud-forest understorey, and it suffers in the warm, dry air of a typical home.

At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Very 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 montane cloud and wet forest in Costa Rica's Talamanca and central cordilleras.

Records span 1,050–2,302 m, median 1,600 m (67 records with elevations).

Costa Rica

🔒 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

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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.