Calathea crotalifera S.Watson

Rattlesnake plant (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Zingiberales > Marantaceae > Calathea

Characteristics

A herb. It grows 3 m tall. It has underground rhizomes. The leaves are large and dark green with a paler green along the midrib. They are greyish green underneath. The flowering shoots are upright and 25 cm long. These have stacked leathery flower bracts. They are yellow or orange and the flowers peek out at the edges. The actual flowers are tube shaped with 3 unequal petals. The fruit capsules are egg shaped with dark blue seeds in white flesh.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support -
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 0.55 - 0.75
Mature height (meter) 1.0
Root system rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

It is a tropical plant. It suits wet areas. Brisbane Botanical Gardens.
Light 4-6
Soil humidity 3-8
Soil texture 3-4
Soil acidity 2-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 11-12

Usage

Uses -
Edible shoots
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by divisions.
Mode divisions
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Flower

Calathea crotalifera flower picture by GA Gustavo (cc-by-sa)
Calathea crotalifera flower picture by rueda yolima (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Calathea crotalifera fruit picture by Salzjimn Jasten (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Calathea crotalifera world distribution map, present in Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, United States of America, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:273648-2
WFO ID wfo-0000342842
COL ID PFWC
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 447840
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Calathea crotalifera Calathea quadratispica Calathea sclerobractea Calathea insignis Phyllodes insigne Calathea insignis Phyllodes insignis