Calathea Makoyana (Cathedral Plant)
- Regular price
-
€21,95 - Regular price
-
- Sale price
-
€21,95
Couldn't load pickup availability
Frequently Asked Questions
How to reveal the stained glass effect of a Calathea Makoyana? Place it backlit in front of a window with indirect light — the translucent patterns then light up in a way that no other houseplant can replicate.
Can a Calathea Makoyana live in a bathroom? Yes, the natural ambient humidity of a bright bathroom is especially beneficial — it’s one of the best spots for this species, which is very sensitive to dry air.
SHIPPING & PACKAGING
Shipping within 24/48 hours via DPD
- Delivery in 2 to 5 business days
- Eco-friendly packaging: recyclable boxes and biodegradable materials
- Special protection to ensure the plant arrives in perfect condition
- Parcel tracking sent by email as soon as shipped
- Free delivery on orders over €50
48H QUALITY GUARANTEE
We guarantee that your plants will arrive in perfect condition. If your plant arrives damaged or in poor condition:
- Contact us within 48 hours at hello@verdeia.eu with photos
- Free replacement or full refund
- No return necessary – we trust you
The guarantee covers: damage related to transport, severely weakened plant upon arrival, preparation errors.
CARE TIPS UPON ARRIVAL
To help your plant settle in for the long term:
- Unpack immediately and inspect your plant
- Let it acclimatize 24-48h in a bright spot without direct sunlight
- Check soil moisture before watering (dry surface = light watering)
- Wait 2-3 weeks before repotting
- Avoid heat sources and drafts
- Gently wipe leaves to remove dust
Need help? Contact our team at hello@verdeia.eu or via chat.
🌿 Transparent foliage with stained glass patterns • 🌤️ Partial shade to indirect light • 💧 Moderate watering • ✨ Easy care • 🐾 Non-toxic • 🏙️ 3 sizes available
The Calathea Makoyana, also called Cathedral Plant, is a tropical plant with translucent leaves decorated with complex light and dark green patterns that create a striking stained glass effect when light passes through. Its deep purple underside reveals itself with every movement — because like all Marantaceae, its leaves fold up at night and open in the morning in a daily ballet.
Native to the tropical forests of Brazil, it stands out in the Calathea collection for its unique transparency effect — no other variety produces this plant stained glass glow when light passes through. This nyctinastic behavior, shared with Marantas and other Calatheas, is one of the most fascinating indoor plant spectacles — our article on the praying plant explains this mechanism in detail.
Which Calathea variety should you choose?
Each Calathea has a distinct pattern — it’s the foliage that makes all the difference. Here’s how the Makoyana fits within the range:
- Calathea Makoyana (this plant) — translucent leaves with light and dark green patterns, stained glass effect when light passes through, purple undersides. The most transparent and artistic.
- Calathea Medallion — large round leaves with complex medallion patterns in green, silver, and purple undersides. The roundest and most densely patterned.
- Calathea Orbifolia — large round leaves with regular silver stripes. The brightest and cleanest.
- Calathea Warscewiczii — dark green velvety foliage with purple undersides. The most velvety.
- Calathea Majestica 'Princeps' — elongated dark green foliage with pink stripes, purple underside. The most colorful in pink stripes.
- Calathea Ornata — dark green foliage with fine pink stripes. The most graphic in pink lines.
- Calathea Lancifolia — elongated light green foliage with dark green spots, purple underside. The most original in elongated shape.
- Calathea Zebrina — soft light green foliage with dark green zebra stripes. The most graphic in green contrasts.
The Makoyana is the only Calathea to offer this transparency effect lit through by light — placed in front of a window, its patterns light up like stained glass, a quality no other variety reproduces.
Exposure & placement
The Calathea Makoyana enjoys moderate indirect light — it is in this soft light, neither too strong nor too weak, that the stained glass effect of its leaves is most striking. Direct sun erases the patterns and burns the leaves; low light gradually dulls them. The natural ambient humidity of a bright bathroom is especially beneficial.
- Ideal exposure: moderate indirect light — north or east window, bright room without direct sun.
- Tolerates: low light, high ambient humidity.
- Avoid: direct sunlight that erases the patterns and burns the leaves.
- Temperature: 18–25 °C, without sudden changes or drafts.
- Substrate: light, rich, and draining — universal potting soil with perlite.
Placed backlit in front of a window with indirect light, the Makoyana fully reveals its stained glass effect — the translucent patterns light up in a way impossible to reproduce with any other plant.
Watering & maintenance
The Calathea Makoyana is sensitive to water quality — brown edges on the leaves are almost always caused by calcium or fluoride in tap water, not by watering issues. Switch to filtered or rainwater and new leaves will emerge without brown edges.
- Watering: moderate — keep the substrate slightly moist without ever letting it become soggy.
- Frequency: about once a week in spring-summer; reduce slightly in winter.
- Water: preferably non-calcareous — filtered, rainwater, or left to stand for 24 hours.
- Humidity: mist regularly or group with other plants — prefers 60–70%.
- Drainage: essential — pot must have drainage holes, empty saucer after watering.
- Fertilizer: diluted liquid green plant fertilizer, once a month in spring-summer.
Gently wipe the leaves with a damp cloth to preserve their transparency — dust settles on the surface and dulls the patterns by reducing the stained-glass effect.
Decor ideas & plant pairings
The unique transparency of the Calathea Makoyana makes it a plant that showcases itself differently depending on the available light — it literally changes its appearance throughout the day. To create a plant atmosphere around it, find our ideas to create a tropical ambiance.
- In front of a window with indirect light: this is its preferred spot — the translucent patterns light up, pair it with a Maranta whose leaves, also nyctinastic, create a lively duo that moves in rhythm.
- In a bright bathroom: the H45 cm size | Pot Ø14 cm is perfect for a shelf — slip it into a white ceramic decorative pot with relief whose purity highlights the complexity of the patterns without competing with them.
- As an artist's composition: pair it with a Calathea Orbifolia with large silver-striped leaves — the translucent patterns of the Makoyana and the opaque stripes of the Orbifolia create a fascinating texture dialogue.
- Decorative pot and color scheme: the purple underside of the leaves pairs especially well with a Groovy matte pink decorative pot — warm harmony between the plant’s purple and the ceramic’s soft pink.
Verdeia tips
- Use non-calcareous water: the characteristic brown edges of Calathea disappear within a few leaf generations as soon as you switch to filtered or rainwater — this is the most effective change you can make to improve the plant’s health.
- Maintain proper ambient humidity: in heated apartments during winter, mist 2 to 3 times a week or place the pot on a bed of moist clay pebbles — dry heating air is the main enemy of leaf transparency.
- Observe the night movement to assess health: if the leaves no longer fold up in the evening, it is often a sign of lack of water or insufficient humidity — act before the edges brown or the leaves curl.
The Makoyana is more sensitive than most Calatheas to water quality and ambient humidity — if you pamper it on these two points, it will reward you with foliage of unparalleled transparency and vibrancy.
Technical characteristics
- Botanical name: Calathea makoyana
- Common name: Cathedral plant
- Family: Marantaceae
- Origin: Brazil
- Available sizes: H45 cm | Pot Ø14 cm / H55 cm | Pot Ø17 cm / H70 cm | Pot Ø21 cm
- Adult size: up to 40–60 cm indoors
- Exposure: moderate indirect light to Partial shade
- Substrate: light, rich, and well-draining — universal potting soil with perlite
- Watering: moderate — keep the substrate slightly moist, use non-calcareous water
- Care: easy
- Growth: moderate
- Toxicity: non-toxic
- Decorative style: Artistic / Transparent / Tropical
- Feature: translucent leaves with unique stained-glass patterns, purple underside, nyctinastic leaves (day/night movement)
Each plant is unique: the photos show a representative example. The intensity of patterns and leaf transparency naturally vary depending on light and season.
Your plant, delivered with care
Every plant is hand-packed in a box specially designed for plants — secured, protected, ready to travel. It arrives in perfect condition, roots intact and foliage preserved, ready to take its place in your home.
Our Verdeia commitments
FAQ – Everything to know before adopting your Verdeia plant
How are my plants prepared before shipping?
All our plants are selected from our European partner nurseries. Before shipping, they are watered, cleaned, and protected with breathable, secure packaging. Each package is designed to ensure your plant arrives in perfect health, without any transport-related stress.
Will the plant look exactly like the photo?
The photos accurately represent the variety and the stated size. Since each plant is unique, slight differences in shape, foliage, or color may occur — and that’s part of their charm.
What are the delivery times and conditions?
Shipping is done within 48 business hours, with tracked delivery within 2 to 5 business days. Delivery costs €5.60 — free for orders over €50. You will receive a tracking link as soon as the package is shipped.
What to do upon receiving my plant?
Open your package as soon as you receive it and carefully remove the plant from its packaging. Let it acclimate for 24 hours in its new environment before watering. If it has been slightly stressed during transport, it will recover its shape after one or two days in the light.
What to do if my plant arrives damaged?
Contact us within 48 hours with a photo of the issue. Our team will assess the situation and offer you the best solution: replacement, partial refund, or recovery advice.
Can I return a plant?
Since plants are living beings, standard returns are not possible. However, we guarantee good health upon delivery: if the plant arrives damaged, it will be replaced free of charge. For any other cases (order error, decorative pot, accessory), returns are possible within 14 days.