Rattlesnake Plant Care: How to Grow the Spotted Calathea

What is a rattlesnake plant?

Rattlesnake plant care comes down to four things: steady moisture, soft light, clean water and humid air. Get those right and you'll have long, wavy leaves that look hand-painted, lime green on top with dark green spots and deep purple underneath.

Its botanical name is Goeppertia insignis, though it's still sold under its older names, Calathea lancifolia or Calathea insignis. "Rattlesnake" is a common name, not a cultivar. It comes from the rainforests of southeastern Brazil and grows as a fountain-like clump about a foot and a half tall indoors.

It's a cousin of the prayer plant and shares the family habit of moving its leaves on a daily rhythm. People grow it for the pattern, though NC State Extension notes that its need for high humidity can make it tricky to grow well.

Why people like the rattlesnake plant

The leaves are the draw, but it's practical too.

• Pattern that reads from across a room. The purple undersides show when the leaves lift in the evening.
• Non-toxic to cats and dogs according to the ASPCA, so it's an easy pick for a home with pets.
• No direct sun needed. It's happy a few feet back from a window and copes with a dim corner, though it grows slower and its markings dull there.
• Clear signals. The leaf edges curl or brown when the air is too dry, so you can spot a problem early and fix it.
• Easy to share. Once the clump fills its pot, you can divide it in spring into new plants.

Who should get a rattlesnake plant, and who shouldn't

It's a good fit if you have pets and want more than plain green, or if your best spot is near a north-facing window. It suits someone happy with a small routine: feeling the soil every few days, keeping a jug of distilled water or rainwater on hand, and adding a little humidity in winter.

If you've never kept a houseplant, one of our easy houseplants for beginners is a gentler start.

Skip it if your only spot is a hot, sunny sill or right next to a radiator, or if your home drops below 60°F in winter. Skip it too if your air is very dry in winter and you don't want to run a humidifier, if keeping distilled water or rainwater on hand sounds like a chore, or if you're often away for more than a week with no one to check the soil. An office works if the temperature stays steady and someone looks after it when you're out.

Is a rattlesnake plant safe for cats and dogs?

The rattlesnake plant is non-toxic to cats and dogs according to the ASPCA. The ASPCA doesn't use the newer name Goeppertia, so look for it there as Caeroba or Calathea insignis, with Rattle Snake Plant among its other names.

Non-toxic doesn't mean it's meant to be eaten. Eating any plant, this one included, can still upset a pet's stomach.

Don't confuse it with the snake plant, Dracaena trifasciata, which the ASPCA lists under its older name, Sansevieria trifasciata. The ASPCA lists the snake plant as toxic to cats and dogs: its saponins can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Check every plant by its own name rather than assuming a whole group is safe. Our guide to pet-safe houseplants covers the ones we carry.

If your pet eats a plant and you're worried, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. A consultation fee may apply.

How much light does a rattlesnake plant need?

Give it medium, indirect light: near a north-facing window, a few feet back from an east-facing one, or behind a sheer curtain at a west-facing one. It tolerates low light, so a dim corner works, though it grows more slowly there. Keep it out of strong direct sun. A little gentle early-morning sun is fine; strong afternoon sun is not.

Too much light shows up as pale or yellowing leaves, scorched brown patches and leaves that curl inward. Too little shows up as few new leaves, leaf stalks that stretch and flop, and markings that look duller and less crisp. A sheer curtain fixes the first. Moving it closer to the window fixes the second.

If your whole home runs dark, our low light houseplants guide compares the plants that cope best.

How often should you water a rattlesnake plant?

There's no set schedule, because how fast the soil dries depends on your room. A warm, bright spot dries it faster than a cool, dim one, and a Small in its 4 in pot holds less soil than a Medium, so it needs checking more often. Feel the soil every few days instead of watering by the calendar. From spring through summer, water when the surface feels just dry, so the soil stays evenly moist but never soggy. Its leaves curl and crisp when it dries out too far.

When it's time, water like this:

• Pour slowly at the base of the plant, not over the leaves. Wet leaves can develop fungal spots.
• Keep going until the soil is evenly moist all the way through, not just damp on top.
• Never leave the pot standing in water. Tip out anything that collects in a saucer or cover pot, since roots left sitting in water rot.
• Use room-temperature water, roughly 62 to 72°F, rather than very cold or hot water.

In fall and winter it grows more slowly and drinks less. Let the surface dry a little more between waterings, but don't let the soil dry out completely.

Water quality matters more here than with most plants. Fluoride causes dead spots near the leaf margins, and minerals from hard tap water and fertilizer build up in the soil over time and brown the edges. Distilled water or rainwater is the surest way to keep both out. Letting tap water stand for a day lets the chlorine escape, but it won't remove fluoride. Skip softened water, which adds sodium to the soil. A white crust on the soil means salts are building up, a good reason to switch water and to use fresh mix at the next repotting.

Too much water and too little can look alike: yellow leaves and wilting can mean either. Feel the soil before you reach for the watering can. If it's wet and the plant is drooping, the roots need air, not more water. Our guide to watering houseplants covers the basics for every plant.

Rattlesnake plant care: feeding, humidity and repotting

Feed with half-strength houseplant fertilizer about once a month in spring and summer, and stop in fall and winter. More isn't better: extra fertilizer adds salts that burn the leaf edges.

Humidity is the main challenge. Aim for 40 to 60 percent: group it with other plants, set it on a tray of wet pebbles, keep it in a bright bathroom, or run a humidifier in winter when the heat is on. Go easy on misting, since leaves that stay wet can develop fungal spots.

Keep it above 60°F, ideally 65 to 80°F, and away from drafts, heating vents and cold window glass. It dislikes sudden temperature swings, and cold below about 55°F can damage the leaves.

Cut fully yellow or brown leaves off at the base of the stalk, and trim brown tips with clean scissors, following the leaf's shape. Wipe off dust now and then with a damp cloth, since dust cuts the light the leaves can use.

Repot in spring or early summer once the clump has filled its pot and the soil dries out much faster than it used to. Choose a pot with a drainage hole just one or two sizes larger, and an airy mix of coir or peat with perlite or bark. Spring is also the time to divide it: ease the clump apart so each piece has its own roots and a few leaves.

What to do when your rattlesnake plant arrives

It arrives already potted at the greenhouse, in a terracotta or black eco pot, so there's nothing to assemble. A few small steps in the first week help it settle:

• Open the box the day it arrives. Lift the plant out by its pot rather than its leaves, and take away all the packing, including any winter protection added for a cold-weather trip.
• Feel the soil. If the surface is dry, water until the soil is evenly moist and tip out any extra. If it's still damp, check again in a day or two.
• Put it straight into its long-term spot, in medium indirect light and away from vents, drafts and cold glass. It dislikes sudden changes, so try not to move it around while it settles.
• Give curled leaves time. After several days in a dark box, some may be curled, creased or held upright, and most relax within a few days. Cut off any leaf that's torn or badly bent at the base of its stalk.
• Leave the pot alone. It can stay in the pot it came in through its first growing season, and if it arrives in fall or winter it won't need feeding until spring.

If it arrives damaged or declines in its first 30 days, we'll replace it. Our shipping page explains delivery times and the guarantee.

Rattlesnake plant problems and how to fix them

Most problems trace back to water, dry air or light. Find the symptom:

• Curling leaves: thirst or dry air. Feel the soil and water if the surface is dry, then raise the humidity. In a bright spot, it can also mean too much light.
• Crispy brown tips, edges or dead spots near the margins: dry air, fluoride or salt buildup. Switch to distilled water or rainwater and add humidity. Damaged edges won't recover, so judge progress by the next new leaf.
• Yellow leaves: an old lower leaf yellowing now and then is normal. Several at once can mean soggy soil, soil drying out too far, light that's too strong, or skipped feeding in spring and summer.
• Limp stems and a sour smell: root rot from soil that stays wet. Let the surface dry before you water again and make sure the pot never sits in water. If it doesn't improve, repot into fresh, airy mix, trimming any soft brown roots.
• Patchy, water-soaked areas on the leaves in winter: edema, from soil kept too wet while growth is slow. Water less often until spring.
• New leaves stuck as they unroll: usually dry air. Raise the humidity and let the leaf open on its own.
• Fine webbing and pale speckles: spider mites, which like dry air. Rinse the leaves in the shower and use insecticidal soap if they return. Watch for mealybugs and scale too.

If you'd like one of your own, you can get a rattlesnake plant in Small or Medium, potted in terracotta or black, covered by our 30-day guarantee.

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