Furry Feather Calathea
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called velvet calathea.
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 shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · 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 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · 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
- Water with rain water or distilled water, because fluoride in tap water can turn the leaves brown. Too much water can lead to root rot; wet foliage during watering or poor airflow can bring on leaf spot.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026During growth, water moderately and feed monthly with a balanced liquid fertiliser; in winter keep just moist.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- Feed once a month in spring and summer.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026While 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
- Dividing the rhizomatous roots gives the best results.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Divide 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
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Photographs
About the plant
Goeppertia rufibarba, the furry feather or velvet calathea, is a species of flowering plant in the Marantaceae family, native to Bahia state of northeastern Brazil. The plant's common names are due to its fuzzy, fur-like underleaf texture, which is unusual in its genus. Furthermore, the specific epithet rufibarba comes from the Latin rufus 'red' and barba 'beard'.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- Brazil (Bahia)World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Brazil NorthwestNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026E BrazilRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- wet tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- perennialWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Herbaceous Perennial; habit clumping, erectNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Clump forming (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 24–36 in; width 12–24 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 0.5-1 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 2–5 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers gold/yellow, insignificant, orange; blooms in spring, summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
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Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
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.