Zebra Plant

Zebra Plant (Calathea zebrina) has the best foliage of any easy indoor calathea. The broad leaves are velvet to touch, mid green with dark banding running out from the midrib like brushstrokes, on a plant that reaches about 80cm tall and 60cm across. It is also genuinely pet friendly, which narrows the field fast if you have a cat or a dog that investigates plants.

Why you'll love it

• Foliage that does not need flowers. The banded velvet leaves carry the plant all year, so nothing about it looks off season.
• Not toxic to cats or dogs. One of the few striking indoor plants you can put at floor level in a home with pets.
• Built for the shady side. It wants indirect light, so it thrives in the south facing rooms where most indoor plants sulk.
• It moves. Leaves lift in the evening and lower again by morning, which is quietly good company in a room.

Where it works best

Indoors. This is where it belongs, anywhere in the country. Two or three metres back from a bright window, out of direct sun, gives the strongest banding and the least edge burn.

Pots and containers. A 250mm to 300mm pot suits a mature plant. Group two or three at different heights, and keep them off cold draughts and heating vents.

Sheltered balconies and courtyards. In tropical and subtropical gardens it will grow outdoors in deep shade, under a covered patio or beneath established canopy.

Growing Zebra Plant in Australia

Position and climate. Bright indirect light only. Direct sun bleaches the banding and scorches the velvet surface. Outdoors it is limited to tropical and subtropical gardens because it is frost tender, and cold draughts indoors will brown the leaf edges just as quickly as frost.

Soil. A quality indoor mix with added coir or fine bark, in a pot that drains freely. It likes moisture held around the roots but not water sitting in a saucer.

Water and feed. Keep the mix evenly damp, watering when the top 2cm dries: usually weekly in summer, fortnightly in winter. Rainwater or filtered water is worth the trouble, since salts in tap water are a common cause of brown leaf tips. Liquid feed at half strength monthly in the warmer months.

Humidity and grooming. Dry indoor air is its main enemy. Group plants, sit the pot on a tray of damp pebbles, or run it in a bathroom. Cut damaged leaves off at the base rather than trimming edges.

What to expect when it arrives

It comes in five sizes: 125mm and 140mm in packs of ten, 200mm in packs of six, 250mm in packs of three, and 300mm singly. The smaller packs suit anyone planting up several rooms or a shaded courtyard bed. The 300mm plants fill a decorative pot on day one.

Calatheas travel in the dark and often arrive with the leaves folded upright, which is normal and resolves within days. Give it a settled, humid spot and expect new leaves within four to six weeks in warm weather. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read how to keep your indoor plants alive.
• Browse more pet friendly indoor plants.
• Compare the full indoor plants range.
• See our list of pet friendly plants for the home.

Common questions

Is it really safe around cats and dogs?

Yes. Calatheas are not toxic to cats or dogs, so a chewed leaf is a loss to the plant rather than a trip to the vet. It is one of the safer choices for a floor level pot.

Why are the leaf tips going brown?

Almost always dry air or tap water. Raise the humidity around the plant and switch to rainwater or filtered water, then remove the damaged leaves at the base.

Can it grow in a dark room?

It handles low light better than most, but a genuinely dark room gives weak growth and faded banding. Indirect light near a window is the sweet spot.