Today I will focus on Stromanthe, a family of arrowroots. The homeland of these plants is the tropics of America. And in nature, they can be counted as about 15 species.
It should also be said that Stromanthe is often confused with Calathea. And some botanists do not at all distinguish Stromanthe into a separate genus and do not share it with Calathea.
Stromanthe is a tall plant, up to 1 m tall, leaves about 20-30 cm long, narrowly oval, or lanceolate.
So, in indoor gardening, you can find Stromanthe Multicolor, Horticolor, Magic color, Triostar, and Wild Form or Thalia. The color of the leaves will help you distinguish these varieties from each other. Some have wide light stripes and spots on the upper side, others have only a light stripe along the central vein, but all have a purple-red underside of the leaf and petioles.
Side note, I have 4 species except for the Wild Form and to be honest all of them have crispy tips. I've accepted it and don't do much to let it go. Below I'm talking about the most common issues and how to solve them including crispy tips.
Care tips for all Stromanthe Species are about the same.
- Watering. Keep the soil slightly moist but do not overwater the plant.
- Lighting. Keep the plant under bright indirect sunlight. The more lighting it gets the brighter leaves to become. Direct sunlight burns the leaves.
- Humidity. The plant loves a high level of humidity. Mist it every day or turn on a humidifier to maintain the high humidity level.
- Temperature. The plant loves when it's warm. Keep it between 65-80 (18-26) degrees during the day and no cooler than 60 (15) degrees at night.
- Feeding. Feed once a month during the spring and summer
Multicolor
The Multicolor cultivar has a glossy V-shaped leaf blade and grows up to 40 cm in length, the leaves are mostly white-pink with green spots on top, and burgundy below.
The Triostar variety is very similar to Multicolor, the bottom of their leaves is also burgundy, but the top is dark green leaves with white-creamy-light green stripes. Also, do not forget that with a decrease in illumination, the variegation of plants can be lost. Therefore, it is recommended to grow Stromanthe in bright light.
Another difference between Multicolor and Triostar is their flowers, or rather what color they are. So Multicolor has white flowers and Triostar has pink-red flowers.
Triostar
So it has impressive variegated foliage with vibrant shades of pink and the leaves are its main attraction. They are long with a variegated pattern and are painted in burgundy below.
It is a houseplant but can also be grown outdoors. Another feature of care is that you need to turn your plant once a week in order for the leaves to grow evenly and receive the required amount of light.
Horticolor
There is also the Stromanthe Horticolor variety, which is undoubtedly one of the brightest ornamental foliage plants for landscaping your home.
Horticolor can reach a height of 90 - 100 cm, and a width of 50 - 70 cm. The leaf blade is oval, pointed, and colored dark green, with bright lemon spots and strokes of pistachio, yellow, light green tones. But like the previous two varieties, the underside of the Horticolor leaves also has a red-burgundy color.
This spectacular beautiful plant is absolutely harmless to children and pets.
Magic color
This type of Stromanthe is the most easily recognizable of the three above, and this is because the variegation of this variety is not so strong. However, it is still unique. Its leaves are the same shape, long and graceful with a glossy sheen. There are not as many variegated stripes as the Triostar for example, and they are usually not as wide.
In addition to the stripes, the leaves also have beautiful little mottled cream-colored specks. And the underside of the leaves, like the previous Stromanthe varieties, remains burgundy.
Young leaves of this plant are lighter in color and become slightly darker as they mature.
Magic Star is a little easier to care for than Triostar, but in general, the care is very similar.
Wild Form Or Thalia
I have only heard about this species and this is the only one I currently don't have. It looks very similar to the Magic Star with long and narrowly oval leaves. The leaves are burgundy underneath and green on the top. Except for the Magic Star that's leaves are spotty, the Wild Form is almost fully green but still very beautiful.
Common issues
Why my Stromanthe Leaves have crispy brown tips?
Since a Stromanthe is a high-humidity lover, crispy tips often means it doesn't receive enough humidity. To solve this the first thing to do is increasing the humidity level by misting the plant every day or turning on a humidifier. Keep an eye on a water quality. Use filtered water or leave the water from the sink overnight.
Why Stromanthe leaves became yellow?
Yellow leaves might be caused by overwatering. This is the most common issue of yellow leaves. Also might be pests. Thoroughly inspect the plant and if you find anything, then use a special treatment.
My Stromanthe leaves are curling
Normally a Stromanthe culrls its leaves either under bright sunlight, too high temperature or when it's too cold. Depending on the reason move the plant far from the sunlight, mist or increase the indoor temperature.