Calathea Crotalifera (Marantaceae): Flower of the Day, Feb 4, 2019

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Ha!!!  I finally identified this plant!!  It is a flower found in Hawaii and Brazil (and obviously Mexico, as that is where I bought it) named Calathea Crotalifera,  also known as Rattlesnake Ginger. Strangely, it is a member of the mushroom family??? Hard to believe, but I read it on a horticultural site.   LWBUT, would you have known what it was??

For Cee’s FOTD

15 thoughts on “Calathea Crotalifera (Marantaceae): Flower of the Day, Feb 4, 2019”

      1. isaiah46ministries's avatarisaiah46ministries

        Thanks for the response. I don’t know one mushroom from another one, but my 94-year-old mother-in-law and Douglas’ whole family love to go mushroom hunting when we get together in California. As the only black in the house when they are cooked, I wait to see if everyone is still standing after eating their beloved eggs and mushroom mix. I can’t take any chances on misunderstandings and what it looks like. I tend to be the only one lost when we go out, learning to sit by a tree near the road and wait for rescue.

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        1. lifelessons's avatarlifelessons Post author

          I just changed the family name to Marantaceae as I can’t find any other source that says it is in the mushroom family and it seems crazy to me that it would be. A number of sources say Marantaceae. Problem with the internet is that it has no editors. I always find flowers misclassified..at least one in every bunch of photos. I should have cross-checked before I quoted the mushroom fact. Mea culpa!!

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  4. BLob's avatarLwbut

    Wow – that is a totally new one on me! (So ‘No!’ is the answer to your question! 🙂 )

    I’m assuming the spectacular, almost luminous, colouring is from a flash?

    I’m not sure how long it might have taken to find the name for it, particularly as there are no leaves visible and i would have assumed the other branch was from the same plant!?

    It is related to Gingers and other herbaceous or tuberous plants but i can’t find any indication any part of it would be edible – the relationship is quite a ‘distant’ one, and as you say, it is not related to mushrooms! 😉

    Cool looking plant for all that! 🙂

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    1. lifelessons's avatarlifelessons Post author

      Hi Bob. Yes, I had determined the site that said it was in the same family as mushroom was incorrect and changed it. And I can find no indication that its root is edible. It is related to the prayer plant, though, strangely enough. The color was actually washed out a bit by the sun as I took it out on the beach to photograph so I boosted it up a bit to show the detail. You are right. I overdid it a bit. J

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