Prayer Plant Types: 7 Maranta Varieties (Visual ID Guide)

When someone says “prayer plant,” most people picture one thing: dark green leaves with red veins. But Maranta leuconeura — the species behind all prayer plants — comes in at least seven distinct cultivars, each with completely different leaf patterns, colours, and even care quirks. The maranta plant is also widely known as the “praying plant” thanks to its famous nightly leaf-folding movement.

Emilie and I have grown four of these varieties in our Aarhus apartment. Some are forgiving. Others test your patience. Here is what each one looks like, what makes it unique, and which ones are worth tracking down.

Understanding Maranta leuconeura (The Species Behind All Prayer Plants)

Maranta leuconeura is a rhizomatous perennial from the tropical forests of Brazil. It belongs to the Marantaceae family — the same family as Calathea, Ctenanthe, and Stromanthe. The species name “leuconeura” means “white-veined” in Latin, though confusingly, the most popular cultivar has red veins.

All prayer plants share three defining traits: the nightly folding movement (called nyctinasty), a spreading rhizomatous root system, and a preference for high humidity and indirect light. The differences between cultivars are entirely cosmetic — leaf pattern and colour — not functional.

The seven cultivars below all grow identically. Once you know how to care for one, you can grow any of them. For care specifics, see our complete prayer plant care guide.

Red Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura var. erythroneura)

This is the one. If you’ve seen a prayer plant on Instagram or in a plant shop, it was almost certainly the erythroneura. Deep green leaves, bright pinkish-red veins in a herringbone pattern, and pale yellow-green patches filling the spaces between.

Why it’s popular: The red veins are genuinely striking, and the leaf movement (folding up at night, opening in the morning) is more dramatic on this variety than most others. Emilie calls it “the one that performs.”

Care notes: Medium difficulty. Needs consistent humidity above 50% and filtered water. Brown tips appear fast if you use hard tap water. We keep ours in the bathroom where the shower steam helps.

Where to buy: The most widely available variety. Large garden centres and most plant shops carry it year-round. Online, 4-inch pots typically run $8–$15.

Green Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura var. kerchoveana — Rabbit’s Foot)

The kerchoveana has a completely different look. Light sage-green leaves with rows of dark brown-green oval spots between the veins. The spots darken with age, starting out almost translucent and deepening to chocolate brown over months.

Why we recommend it for beginners: This is the most forgiving Maranta we’ve grown. It handles lower humidity (40-50%) better than the erythroneura and bounces back faster from missed waterings. If you’re new to prayer plants and want to start with something that won’t punish every mistake, this is the one.

Common name origin: The oval spots look like rabbit paw prints pressed into the leaf. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

Where to buy: Common in most plant shops, often sold simply as “green prayer plant.” One of the cheaper varieties — 4-inch pots typically $6–$12 online or at garden centres.

Maranta leuconeura ‘Lemon Lime’

Bold, bright, and impossible to confuse with anything else. The Lemon Lime has wide bands of chartreuse yellow-green alternating with dark forest green, radiating outward from the midrib. No red veins here. The whole appeal is the punchy lime-on-dark contrast.

Light sensitivity: Here is what surprised us. This variety fades in low light faster than the red-veined types. The chartreuse sections rely on slightly more light to maintain their colour. In a dim corner, the lime sections gradually shift toward a dull olive. Move it closer to a bright window (still no direct sun) and the contrast sharpens within a few weeks.

Where to buy: Easier to find than it used to be. Most well-stocked garden centres carry it now. Etsy and specialist online nurseries stock it year-round, typically $12–$20 for a 4-inch pot.

Maranta leuconeura ‘Fascinator Tricolor’

Think of the Fascinator as the erythroneura’s more dramatic cousin. Same pink-red veins, but with an added layer: cream-to-white patches between the dark green blotches. Three colours on one leaf. It’s one of the most photogenic houseplants we’ve owned.

The catch: Those cream patches have less chlorophyll, which means the plant photosynthesises less efficiently. In practice, the Fascinator grows a bit slower than the standard erythroneura and is slightly more demanding about light. Give it bright indirect light (200-400 FC) and it thrives. Push it into a dark shelf and the new leaves come out with less cream and more plain green.

Identification tip: The Fascinator is often mislabelled as “erythroneura” or just “red prayer plant” in shops. The difference is the cream patches. If you see white or cream between the dark blotches, it’s a Fascinator, not a standard erythroneura.

Where to buy: Check specialist plant shops or Etsy. Less common than the standard erythroneura, typically $15–$25 for a 4-inch pot.

Purple Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura ‘Kim’ / Marisela)

The Kim (sometimes sold as “Marisela” or simply “purple prayer plant”) is the moody, jewel-toned member of the family. The leaf surface has dark green with silvery-white streaks, but flip a leaf over and you’ll find deep purple-maroon undersides. Under the right lighting, that purple bleeds through to the top surface.

Growing conditions: In our experience, the purple colouration intensifies with more light. Ours sat on a north-facing shelf for three months and the purple faded to a dull brown-green underneath. We moved it to a spot near an east-facing window and within six weeks, the undersides deepened back to proper maroon.

Why it’s trending: Searches for “purple prayer plant” are up 28% year-over-year, making this the fastest-growing search term in the entire Maranta category. Collectors are drawn to the jewel tones in a way they aren’t drawn to the more common green varieties.

Where to buy: Moderately rare. Not at big box hardware stores, but specialist plant shops and Etsy sellers stock it regularly. Expect $18–$30 for a 4-inch pot.

Maranta leuconeura ‘Beauty Star’ (Fishbone Prayer Plant)

The Beauty Star has the most geometric leaf pattern of any Maranta. A silvery-green base with dark green feathery marks radiating outward from the midrib in a perfect fishbone arrangement. The pattern is so regular it looks painted on.

Texture difference: Joakim noticed something when we got ours: the leaf surface feels slightly different from other Marantas. It has a finer, almost papery texture compared to the slightly waxy feel of the erythroneura. Whether this affects care is debatable, but it does seem to dry out a hair faster.

Growth habit: Tends to stay more compact than the erythroneura. Good choice if you’re working with limited shelf space.

Where to buy: Available at most online plant retailers. Occasionally found in well-stocked garden centres. Typically $10–$18 for a 4-inch pot.

Maranta leuconeura ‘Silver Band’

Simple, elegant, understated. The Silver Band has a wide stripe of silver-white running down the centre of each leaf, flanked by dark green edges. No spots, no veins, no multicoloured drama. Just a clean two-tone look.

The collector angle: This is the hardest Maranta leuconeura variety to find in shops. Most of what you’ll see labelled “Silver Band” online is actually a Ctenanthe or a different Maranta species. Verify the leaf shape (oval, not elongated) and the leaf movement (folds at night) before buying.

Care: Similar to the kerchoveana in terms of tolerance. Handles slightly lower humidity and is not as dramatic about water quality as the red-veined types.

Where to buy: The hardest Maranta leuconeura to source. Best found through specialist plant traders on Etsy or Facebook plant groups. Expect $20–$40 when available.

Which Prayer Plant Variety Should You Choose?

It depends on your experience and your apartment:

• First prayer plant: Start with the kerchoveana (Rabbit’s Foot). Most forgiving of humidity mistakes.
• Most visual impact: The erythroneura (Red Herringbone) or the Fascinator Tricolor. Both photograph beautifully.
• Bright, modern look: The Lemon Lime. Nothing else in the Maranta family looks like it.
• Collector piece: The Kim (Purple) or Silver Band. Harder to find, more rewarding to grow.
• Small spaces: The Beauty Star. Stays compact and has a tidy growth habit.

All seven varieties share the same basic care needs. For the full care breakdown, see our prayer plant care guide.

Prayer Plant Varieties FAQ

How many prayer plant varieties are there?

There are at least 7 widely available cultivars of Maranta leuconeura: erythroneura (Red/Herringbone), kerchoveana (Rabbit’s Foot), Lemon Lime, Fascinator Tricolor, Kim (Purple), Beauty Star (Fishbone), and Silver Band. Several rarer hybrids exist but are difficult to find in regular shops.

What is the easiest prayer plant variety?

The kerchoveana (Rabbit’s Foot) is the most forgiving. It handles lower humidity (40-50%) better than the red-veined varieties and recovers faster from missed waterings.

Are all prayer plant varieties safe for cats?

Yes. Every Maranta leuconeura variety is non-toxic to cats and dogs, according to the ASPCA. The leaves may cause mild stomach upset if a cat chews them, but they are not poisonous.

What is the difference between a prayer plant and a Calathea?

Both belong to the Marantaceae family and both fold their leaves at night, but they are different genera. Maranta (true prayer plants) are generally easier to care for. Calathea (now reclassified as Goeppertia) demands higher humidity and is far less forgiving of tap water.

Which prayer plant variety has the most colourful leaves?

The Fascinator Tricolor has three distinct colours (dark green, pink veins, cream patches) on a single leaf. The Kim (Purple) is also striking with its purple undersides that bleed through to the top surface.