Looking at Plants
Maranta leuconeura ‘Marisela’
Maranta leuconeura ‘Marisela’
COMMON NAMES
Marisela Prayer Plant
Maranta (muh-RAN-tuh) – named for Bartolommeo Maranti, 16th century Venetian botanist
leuconeura (loo-co-NUR-uh) – having white nerves
‘Marisela’ – cultivar name
GROUP
Monocot
FAMILY
Marantaceae
ORIGIN
Brazil
DESCRIPTION
Marisela Prayer Plant is an evergreen herbaceous perennial that averages 6 to 12 inches in height with a 12 to 18 inch spread. It is clump-forming and spreading from rhizomes. It is most often seen as a houseplant. It has a slow growth rate.
Leaves are evergreen, oval to elliptic in shape, alternate in arrangement, simple with entire margins, and 5 to 7 inches long. The top is dark green with patterns and blotches along the midrib of a lighter green. The veins are also a lighter green.The leaves have the unique trait of folding up at night as if hands in prayer (thus the common name).
The whitish/lavender flowers with purple spots are small, two-lipped, and borne on slender spikes. The usual bloom period is summer.
HARDINESS
It is hardy in USDA Zones 11 to 12 outdoors. As a houseplant, it can be grown most anywhere.
LIGHT
Part shade
SALT
Undocumented – our experience with this plant has been in a greenhouse setting, so measuring salt spray or salt water exposure has not occurred. It does seem to have some sensitivity to excessive soluble salts.
SOIL
It prefers a fertile, organic soil, but it will grow on a wide variety of other well-drained soils in a preferred pH range of 5.5 to 6.0. It is subject to root rots on overly wet soils.
WATERING
It has moderate drought tolerance once established, so some water is needed for survival in dry spells. It prefers even, consistent moisture in droughts to keep it healthier and looking better.
PROPAGATION
Division of rooted offsets, basal cuttings, seed
PESTS
Scale - University of California
Spider Mites - University of California
Mealybugs - University of California
Fungus Gnats - University of California
Thrips - University of California
Snails - University of California
Root Knot Nematode - Missouri Botanical Gardens
DISEASES
Helminthosporium Leaf Spot - University of Georgia
Root Rots - University of Wisconsin
Mosaic Virus - University of California
DEER
Very little documentation as to resistance
What we have grown has always been indoors or in a greenhouse, so there has been no exposure to deer.
There are very few totally “deer-proof” plants. There are also, relatively speaking, few plants that are considered a preferred food supply of deer. Most plants fall in the big gap between. One of the biggest variables is the available preferred food supply in a given area. If their preferred food is scarce, they will munch on most anything.
OTHER
USES
Houseplant, hanging baskets, containers, groundcover, shady gardens
A search of ASPCA, Texas A&M University, Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System, Poisonous Houseplants and Ornamentals - Merck Vet Manual, Purdue University - Guide to Toxic Plants in Forages, Poisonous Plants of the Southeastern United States - Alabama Cooperative Extension, Florida Poison Control, and The Cat Fanciers Association did not show this plant on any of their lists.
California Poison Control does list Maranta leuconeura as non-toxic.
University of Wisconsin does list Prayer Plant as non-toxic.
University of Connecticut lists Maranta leuconeura as not poisonous.