Stunning Maranta Varieties That Instantly Elevate Your Indoor Space

Why do we love to grow maranta as a houseplant? Native to Central and South America, this leafy perennial can brighten up your office or lounge with its colorful, variegated and patterned foliage – that’s why! Some varieties have leaves that look like decorative plumes, others like fishbones, and all are incredible companions to have indoors, including the popular“prayer plant” (Maranta leuconeura), maybe its most famous species, as well as arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea), but you will be amazed at the exotic display her sisters too can put on, and all year round!

In fact, there are about 40 to 50 species of this rhizomatous evergreen and tropical plant, andmore cultivars, which play with the patterns and colors of their lush leaves, though flowers are rare and inconspicuous, best cut to preserve the foliage if they appear… But their leaves have an extra asset for you: they are excellent air purifiers!

But which one will look best in your table or desk? Which maranta variety will brighten up your days with its leafy spectacle? Just read on and find out!

12 Variegated and Colorful Varieties of Maranta You Can Choose Your Houseplant from

And here they are, 12 maranta and prayer plant varieties for your indoor (one for outdoors) spaces, all colorful and with variegated foliage.

• Black prayer plant
• West Indian arrowroot
• ‘Fascinator’ maranta
• ‘Kerchoveana’ maranta
• ‘Light Veins’ maranta
• ‘Amabilis’ maranta
• ‘Variegata’ west Indian arrowroot
• ‘Erythroneura’ prayer plant
• ‘Silver Feather’ prayer plant
• ‘Lemon Lime’ prayer plant
• ‘Cat Mustache’ prayer plant
• Maranta cristata

And we can start with the “dark classic” of maranta varieties… Off we go!

1: Black Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura‘Massangeana’)

One of the most popular maranta varieties is commonly called “black prayer plant”, though it is the ‘Massangeana’ cultivar of M. leuconeura, and this is for two reasons… Like members of the Goeppertiaand Ctenanthegenera, its foliage opens in the morning, and then it folds back as the day comes to a close.

And the other reason is that the glossy leaves, broad and ovate, with a waxy surface, will amaze you with their palette. Reaching 6 inches long (15 cm), they have a feather like pattern on them, with very regular, arching veins in ivory whitish, and a central silver plume.

This is then framed by dark strokes, in the purple to maroon range and then, it is all set off by the rich emerald green that leads you to the smooth margins! Its leafy spectacle is very elegant and sumptuous at the same time, and it is quite easy to find on the market.

Ideal for any living or office space, black prayer plant will suit both formal and informal settings, and it is quite a small exotic plant, so you can even have it on your coffee table.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 11 to 12.
• Indoor temperature:between 59 and 90^oF (15 to 32^oC).
• Light exposure:bright indirect light.
• Size:10 to 12 inches tall and in spread (25 to 30 cm).
• Soil and water requirements:use 1 part good quality all purpose potting soil, 1 part peat moss or substitute, 1 part perlite. Water when the top 1 inch (2.5 cm) of soil is dry, usually once a week in the growing season, less frequently in winter.

2: West Indian Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea)

If maranta varieties are mainly houseplants, we now need to move outdoors, because West Indian arrowroot is best grown in a (vegetable) garden. But it is important to know it because it has given birth to some cultivars we now grow as houseplants – and we will see this soon!

It is actually a perennial herb from the rainforests of the Americas, grown for food preparations, thanks to its fat rhizomes rich in starch. But it is not without decorative value in a tropical garden! In fact, it has shiny rich emerald green leaves, lanceolate and pointed in shape, and this will add a very exotic touch to your borders, as it grows quite tall and fast, up to 5 feet tall (1.5 meters). It also has lovely, white and pea white blossoms, which appear 90 days after planting, and they look a bit like pea flowers.

Ideal for an exotic garden, West Indian arrowroot is hardly grown as a houseplant, but it will fill a tropical border with its glossy leaves all year round, or during the warm season if grown as an annual.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 10 to 12.
• Light exposure:full Sun and partial shade.
• Flowering time: late spring and early summer.
• Size:1 to 5 feet tall (30 cm to 1.5 meters) and 1 to 3 feet in spread (30 to 90 cm).
• Soil and water requirements:fertile and organically rich, well drained and medium humid loam, clay or sand based soil with pH from moderately acidic to neutral.

3: ‘Fascinator’ Maranta (Maranta leuconeura ‘Fascinator’)

Back indoors, we meet a cultivar of prayer plant that will really charm you, and, in fact, it is called ‘Fascinator’. A popular variety of Maranta leuconeura, it has a really colorful variegation, but also a compact habit. Super glossy and waxy, its brad and ovate leaves have a wonderful fishbone pattern in relief…

These are the veins, which have a pale pinkish purplish shade, but around the mid rib, you will also see “quills” in a very bright green, almost lime tonality, which contrasts strikingly with the rich and dark notes that tis color has on the rest of the foliage. But the under pages are no less attractive. In fact, they pick up the purple range we found on the top but spreads it to the whole surface, adding hints of brick and russet.

Ideal to bring a touch of color to your indoor spaces, ‘Fascinator’ maranta is also a small houseplant, so you can have it un a container even on a shelf or coffee table, or as a centerpiece of a well lit room, if you wish.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 11 to 12.
• Indoor temperature: between 59 and 90^oF (15 to 32^oC).
• Light exposure: bright indirect light.
• Size: 10 to 12 inches tall and in spread (25 to 30 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: use 1 part good quality all purpose potting soil, 1 part peat moss or substitute, 1 part perlite. Water when the top 1 inch (2.5 cm) of soil is dry, usually once a week in the growing season, less frequently in winter.

4: ‘Kerchoveana’ Maranta (Maranta leuconeura ‘Kerchoveana’)

Here is another Maranta leuconeuracultivar, compact and very decorative for your home or office! However, ‘Kerchoveana’ prayer plant, unlike ‘Fascinator’ prefers a softer variegation. Its leaves are particularly broad as well, almost round, in fact, but but the veins, while still visible, are not highlighted by any particular coloring.

On the other hand, most of the foliage has shades of bright green fading seamlessly into one another, including shamrock and bright emerald, while these can take on silvery notes around the mid rib, forming an elegant plume. On its side, though, the shade darkens and sometimes it blushes to purplish tonalities, in patches that are almost triangular, and pointing to the center…

‘Kerchoveana’ maranta is an ideal indoor companion to add some fresh and green foliage but with an extra touch, an elegant pattern to your decor. And it can blend in with other houseplants really well, without stealing the show.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 11 to 12.
• Indoor temperature: between 59 and 90^oF (15 to 32^oC).
• Light exposure: bright indirect light.
• Size: 12 to 16 inches tall and in spread (30 to 40 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: use 1 part good quality all purpose potting soil, 1 part peat moss or substitute, 1 part perlite. Water when the top 1 inch (2.5 cm) of soil is dry, usually once a week in the growing season, less frequently in winter.

5: ‘Light Veins’ Maranta (Maranta leuconeura ‘Light Veins’)

And here is yet another cultivar of Maranta leuconeurathat plays with sophistication, rather than stark contrasts. In fact, this prayer plant varieties is called ‘Light Veins’ because it does indeed have lots of them, sinuously leading your eye from the mid rib to the smooth margins of its waxy and glossy foliage.

They make the broad and ovate leaves, gently pointed, look like a feather, as they are in slight relief, and they have a luminous yellow cream to lime color. Halfway through, you will meet broad maroon patches, brownish overall as an effect, but with reddish reflexes. All this is set on a backdrop of pale green, on the apple side, which sets of the intricate pattern perfectly well, with refreshing and rejuvenating shade.

‘Light Veins’ is a maranta variety with a very bright and positive personality. It is ideal to bring positive and fresh energy into any well lit living space, like a crisp and finely patterned friend to grow as a friendly houseplant.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 11 to 12.
• Indoor temperature: between 59 and 90^oF (15 to 32^oC).
• Light exposure: bright indirect light.
• Size: 12 to 16 inches tall and in spread (30 to 40 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: use 1 part good quality all purpose potting soil, 1 part peat moss or substitute, 1 part perlite. Water when the top 1 inch (2.5 cm) of soil is dry, usually once a week in the growing season, less frequently in winter.

6: ‘Amabilis’ Maranta (Maranta leuconeura ‘Amabilis’)

‘Amabilis’ maranta is almost like a living sculpture, like a work of art to decorate any living space. In fact, this prayer plant variety mixes bold strokes with a very elegant variegation, giving you a visually impressive variegation and an impressive pattern. All this is due to the very smooth, marble like texture of the glossy and ovate leaves, with a tiny point at the tips.

But it is also thanks to the ivory white color that makes up most of the foliage. It may even remind you of white chocolate, in some ways, but then, lance shaped and arching “flames” move from the mid rib to the edges, where they join in a line that defines the foliage’s contours, and these are dark green!

The purple under pages that can continues down into the petioles can add an extra dimension, and the exact coloring may change according to lighting conditions, so, sometimes the white becomes yellowish, and the green can lighten or darken. Always a pleasant surprise anyway!

‘Amabilis’ maranta will look really elegant and decorative in a well chosen container and against a neutral backdrop, bringing its great artistic touch to your indoor spaces.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 11 to 12.
• Indoor temperature: between 59 and 90^oF (15 to 32^oC).
• Light exposure: bright indirect light.
• Size: 12 to 16 inches tall and in spread (30 to 40 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: use 1 part good quality all purpose potting soil, 1 part peat moss or substitute, 1 part perlite. Water when the top 1 inch (2.5 cm) of soil is dry, usually once a week in the growing season, less frequently in winter.

7: ‘Variegata’ West Indian Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea ‘Variegata’)

We met Maranta arundinacea earlier on, but now we want to talk about her “daughter”, a cultivar of West Indian arrowroot that’s become a popular houseplant. Smaller than the natural species, growing only to a bit more than 2 feet tall (60 cm), it has retained the original long and lance shaped, pointed leaves, and all their glossiness as well!

But the rich emerald green color it has in the wild has added an extra touch… Broad stripes of white add variegation to this plant, irregularly distributed on the foliage, and sometimes mixing with the background color to give you grayish areas as well! This gives you a leafy spectacle that is both bold and very elegant indeed, and, remember, its pea like blossoms are quite attractive, coming in little clusters, though not as common indoors…

‘Variegata’ maranta is not a prayer plant variety, so, it will not fold its leaves at night, but still, its striking foliage can add a really eye catching and leafy touch to any indoor space, where it can easilybecome the center of attention! What is more, it can grow well in medium light, unlike M. leuconeura!

• Hardiness: USDA zones 10 to 12.
• Indoor temperature: between 68 and 90^oF (20 to 32^oC).
• Light exposure:medium indirect light.
• Size:20 to 28 inches tall (50 to 70 cm) and 12 to 20 inches in spread (30 to 50 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: use 1 part good quality all purpose potting soil, 1 part peat moss or substitute, 1 part perlite. Water when the top 1 inch (2.5 cm) of soil is dry, usually once a week in the growing season, less frequently in winter.

8: ‘Erythroneura’ Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura ‘Erythroneura’)

And now, a really extraordinary maranta variety: ‘Erythroneura’! In fact, this amazing prayer plant is quite unique, because its glossy, fleshy and waxy ovate leaves droop down from the petioles, and this gives this exotic houseplant a draping effect… But this is not the only reason… The veins that arch from the mid rib to the smooth margins in an elegant fishbone pattern are pinkish at first, and then they darken to purplish as the foliage matures.

Similarly, the rich emerald green shade of most of the leafy show starts off bright, around the shamrock range, and then it darkens to forest tonalities… In the middle, you will also see the typical patches that form a broken plume, and these are brighter yet, sometimes touching lime notes, and sometimes displaying silver reflexes.

For all these reasons, ‘Erythroneura’ prayer plant is not just a striking maranta variety to bring lots of colors and decorative patterns to your indoor spaces, but also a favorite to grow in hanging baskets!

• Hardiness: USDA zones 11 to 12.
• Indoor temperature: between 59 and 90^oF (15 to 32^oC).
• Light exposure: bright indirect light.
• Size:10 to 12 inches tall (25 to 30 cm) and 20 to 24 inches in spread (50 to 60 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: use 1 part good quality all purpose potting soil, 1 part peat moss or substitute, 1 part perlite. Water when the top 1 inch (2.5 cm) of soil is dry, usually once a week in the growing season, less frequently in winter.

9: ‘Silver Feather’ Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura ‘Silver Feather’)

‘Silver Feather’ has glossy, smooth and waxy foliage, but it is at the same time broader than most other Maranta leuconeuravarieties, but also thinner, less fleshy. And for this reason, the leaves fold and arch, under their won weight, giving you a very soft leafy display.

They are held up by the elegant veins, which are in relief and give you a lovely fishbone pattern, but the effect is also matched by the variegation you will find on the leaves… A pale silvery plume, quite large and showy, follows the mid rib to the tip, with bluish overtones, while the rest offers you shades of green that range and fuse, from bright shamrock to deep emerald. What is more, its shape allows you to see the under pages as well, where you can see so e blushes of raspberry purple especially near the petioles.

A “soft and floppy” cultivar of maranta, ‘Silver Feather’ prayer plant can look quite attractive on its own, maybe on a coffee table or desk, but you can also mix it to give you a variegated but nonintrusive and non competing addition of lush leaves.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 11 to 12.
• Indoor temperature: between 59 and 90^oF (15 to 32^oC).
• Light exposure: bright indirect light.
• Size: 12 to 16 inches tall (30 to 40 cm) and 16 to 20 inches in spread (40 to 50 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: use 1 part good quality all purpose potting soil, 1 part peat moss or substitute, 1 part perlite. Water when the top 1 inch (2.5 cm) of soil is dry, usually once a week in the growing season, less frequently in winter.

10: ‘Lemon Lime’ Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura ‘Lemon Lime’)

I suppose the name of this Maranta leuconeuracultivar gives a few clues away… And indeed it does, because the glossy, large, waxy and almost paddle shaped leaves of this exotic houseplant display the usual regular and decorative fishbone pattern that links the mid rib to the edges, and with the little patches that grow at the base of the veins… Both these are, in fact, yellow greenish, so, that’s why it is called ‘Lemon Lime’.

However, the tonality can be more on the chartreuse side, and this may depend on the lighting conditions that you can offer your plant. The rest of the foliage, on the other hand, is fully green, but the exact notes it hits may vary… Older foliage darkens with age, and usually starting from the center and then slowly proceeding towards the rounded tip and margins, so, you will also get bright emerald, and then all the way to a forest hue.

A very popular and fairly cheap variety of maranta, ‘Lemon Lime’ is also quite adaptable to many indoor spaces, formal and informal alike. And you can have it on its own, as a centerpiece on a table, or keep it in a composition with other exotic houseplants, because the pattern is very clear, but the colors aren’t too contrasting.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 11 to 12.
• Indoor temperature: between 59 and 90^oF (15 to 32^oC).
• Light exposure: bright indirect light.
• Size:10 to 14 inches tall and in spread (25 to 35 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: use 1 part good quality all purpose potting soil, 1 part peat moss or substitute, 1 part perlite. Water when the top 1 inch (2.5 cm) of soil is dry, usually once a week in the growing season, less frequently in winter.

11: ‘Cat Mustache’ Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura ‘Cat Mustache’)

The playful name of this prayer plant cultivar gives away its personality. A close relative of ‘Messangeana’,Maranta leuconeura‘Cat Mustache’ plays with a simpler variegation, but no less attractive… The large and oval leaves are, as you would expect, waxy, even leathery and super glossy indeed, with soft tips, and this gives it a very smooth look.

What is striking though is its choice of colors… Most of the foliage is extremely dark green, from forest to hunter, and even with some pine undertones at times, and it deepens as the foliage ages, from more emerald notes when young. On the other hand, the elegant veins, in relief, and the mid rib show off all their decorative quality with a luminous silver bluish shade, even with aquamarine hints, offering a super sophisticated contrast, reminiscent of feline whiskers, hence its name…

This gives you an exquisite is the pattern, also because the patches at in the middle take on the look of lance shaped leaflets, or little flames! Looking at the petioles, you may also find some traces of purplish violet at times, blushing into the lower pages.

To get the best of ‘Cat Mustache’ maranta you need to be particularly careful about the lighting conditions you can offer this tropical houseplant. When light is scarce, it can become extremely dark, even developing almost black markings. It is certainly an elegant and very showy leafy prayer plant, that would even look good in a formal hall, but of course, feel free to have in in less demanding rooms as well.

• Hardiness: USDA zones 11 to 12.
• Indoor temperature: between 59 and 90^oF (15 to 32^oC).
• Light exposure: bright indirect light.
• Size: 10 to 12 inches tall and in spread (25 to 30 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: use 1 part good quality all purpose potting soil, 1 part peat moss or substitute, 1 part perlite. Water when the top 1 inch (2.5 cm) of soil is dry, usually once a week in the growing season, less frequently in winter.

12: Maranta Cristata (Maranta cristata)

Maranta cristata, formerly known as M. bicoloris a native species from Brazil, and rarer than most of the varieties we have seen so far, but it is slowly becoming better known and loved as a houseplant. It has ovate foliage, and quite lush, with a striking variegation on it, and the veins are not visible, unlike with M. leuconeura. On the other hand you have a large stripe in silver that follows the mid rib, with “spikes” that point to the sides, and, between these, really dark forest, even pine orlindworm green patches.

Moving towards the edges, you will find a lighter tonality, between the hunter and the Castleton in range. The whole seems to be covered by a kind of thin icing, which may take away some of the glossiness of the leaves, but it adds a very unusual, almost ghostly quality. Younger growth will, however, tend to brighter hues, like pea, hay and shamrock, and a final touch is given by the petioles, which are purple.

A very unusual variety, Maranta cristata will set your indoor spaces apart from those of your neighbors, with its sophisticated variegation but also thanks to the fact that it is such a new houseplant, and it may mark you out as a connoisseur…

• Hardiness: USDA zones 11 to 12.
• Indoor temperature: between 64 and 86^oF (18 to 30^oC).
• Light exposure:bright, moderate or even low indirect light.
• Size:10 to 12 inches tall and in spread (25 to 30 cm).
• Soil and water requirements: use 1 part good quality all purpose potting soil, 1 part peat moss or substitute, 1 part perlite. Water when the top 1 inch (2.5 cm) of soil is dry, usually once a week in the growing season, less frequently in winter.

A Final Tip for Your Colorful Maranta Houseplant

You have now met most of the common varieties of maranta, and also some of the lessknown ones, so you can take your pick. But I want to leave you with a final tip… because we love this exotic houseplant for its leaf variegation and coloring, be very careful with lighting… If it gets too dark, move it to a bette lit place, if it gets too bright, do the opposite. Just 2 or 3 feet (60 to 90 cm) from the window or light source can make all the difference!