The charming round leaves with vibrant markings that resemble a medallion make Calathea roseopicta an attractive houseplant to have. Is it cat-friendly?
Belonging to the prayer plant or arrowroot family, Marantaceae, Calathea roseopicta, or Calathea Medallion is a flowering plant native to Brazil. Besides the alluring look, plants in the arrowroot family raise their leaves at night and lower during the day as if they were praying.
Before choosing this plant, you need to see if it is a human pet-safe and what care it needs. Otherwise, it may harm your kids and cats, and it may not thrive if not grown in the right conditions.
Yes. Cats obligate carnivores. However, it is not uncommon for them to nibble grass and other greeneries, including your houseplants. Therefore, when choosing any home garden or house ornamentals, you need to ensure they are safe for your cats.
Luckily, medallion, one of Mother’s Nature’s best mystery is the potted plant you want, cat-friendly, i.e., Calathea medallion or C. roseopicta is not poisonous or toxic to cats.
It joints other cat-safe houseplants like staghorn fern, bromeliads, Kimberly queen fern, African violets, goldfish plant, cast iron plant, moth orchid, Christmas cactus, Boston ferns, aluminum plant, among others.
On the side of care, these plants require high humidity (above 50%), temperatures ranging from 65 to 75ºF (18 to 24ºC) but can tolerate up to 60 ºF (15 ºC), and indirect light. Also, they need well-drained soil (two parts of peat and one part of perlite), moist soil but not soggy, and a balanced liquid fertilizer.
Finally, to propagate them, you need to divide their underground stems, and they don’t need much pruning. Just remove the old leaves that have turned brown.