Calatheas are beautiful house plants grown for their stunning foliage. The top sides of the leaves look as if they have been painted with beautiful brushstrokes they’re often intricately patterned, in many shades of green. The undersides of the leaves are often burgundy red. This striking foliage has earned calatheas several nicknames, including the peacock plant, cathedral window plant, zebra plant and rattlesnake plant. Calatheas are also sometimes called the prayer plant as they are closely related to the maranta plant, also known as the prayer plant. However unlike marantas, they do not close their leaves up at night. Many calathea varieties have recently been moved into the genus Goeppertia, so you may now find them being sold under this name. The light requirements make this plant an attractive choice for lower-light homes, but please note: These plants do poorly in direct sun, which can bleach the leaves. Place your prayer plant in a part of a room that receives low to bright indirect light. As a rule, the darker the foliagesuch as with the calathea ornatathe lower the light requirements. Like all houseplants, calathea enjoy filtered or dechlorinated water and can be a little more demanding than other houseplants. Simply fill your watering can and leave it overnight to dissipate the chlorine. If there are other chemicals in your tap water, try using filtered or distilled water instead. Prayer plants enjoy a humid environment, but many varieties can handle lower levels of humidity. Ideally, they prefer a humidity level of 50 percent or more, with more sensitive varieties requiring higher humidity levelsaround 60 percent.