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Majestic Prayer Plant

Goeppertia majestica, Marantaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called White Star Plant.

Majestic Prayer Plant (Goeppertia majestica), the whole plant.
Mokkie, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Toxicity is partly unassessed

  • Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.

What the sources say about its care

Light
Partial shade
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Moist but well-drained
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H1A — warmer than 15°C 15 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
From April to August, the growing season, water often so the soil stays moist rather than wet or soggy, and give a balanced fertilizer once a month. In winter, when growth usually slows, cut back on water and fertilizer.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
During growth, water moderately and feed monthly with a balanced liquid fertiliser; in winter keep just moist.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
From April to August, the growing season, water regularly so the soil stays moist without being wet or soggy, and give a balanced fertilizer monthly. Cut back on water and feeding in winter, when growth usually slows.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
While growing, water moderately and feed monthly with a balanced liquid fertiliser; in winter keep barely moist.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Repotting
Top dress every year; repot every 2-3 years.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
From late spring to early summer, divide the rhizomatous roots; this gives the best results.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Divide in late spring.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Pruning is not needed.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Can be troubled by glasshouse red spider mite and glasshouse whitefly. Diseases: usually none.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

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About the plant

Goeppertia majestica, the majestic prayer plant, is a species of flowering plant in the family Marantaceae. It is native to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Guyana, and northern Brazil, and has been introduced to Venezuela. Goeppertia majestica belongs to one of the groups of Goeppertia called the Ornata Group.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
W. South America to N. Brazil
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Western South America to Northern Brazil
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
N S America
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
wet tropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
perennial
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Herbaceous Perennial; habit clumping, erect, spreading
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Clump forming (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 18–36 in; width 12–36 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Height 0.5-1 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 2–5 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers gold/yellow, green, white; blooms in spring, summer
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Other Goeppertia

More of the Marantaceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.