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Species library › Maranta › Maranta gibba
Other Little published: much of this is inferred from related species

Maranta gibba

A shrubby, branching Maranta with plain ovate leaves and flowers in open panicles, named for its swollen (gibbous) fruits. It is widespread in the lowlands from Mexico through Central America to northern South America and Trinidad, often in seasonally dry, semi-deciduous forest and forest edges rather than wet rainforest. It is a botanical collector's plant rather than a patterned prayer plant, and wants warmth, bright shade and a drier winter.

At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Lowland tropical forest, including semi-deciduous and deciduous forest, secondary growth, stream banks and forest edges. Herbarium labels include secondary semi-deciduous forest near a brook and a sunny, semi-humid site.

Most GBIF records lie between sea level and about 500 m, with some to 800–1,450 m and a few near 1,650 m in Mexico.

MexicoCentral AmericaColombiaVenezuelaGuianasBrazilPeruTrinidad

🔒 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 Maranta gibba? 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.