The height of some species of these decorative deciduous plants reaches 80 cm. Calathea has very beautiful leaves: they are large, up to 30 cm in length, oval or elliptical, sometimes elongated, grow immediately from the root rosette. Calathea leaves always turn towards the sun. Calathea flowers come in a wide variety of colors, collected in dense spike-shaped or rounded inflorescences. Calathea flowers have an original structure and therefore, in natural conditions, they can be pollinated only by the smallest species of bees.
During the night, the leaves fold up. In the morning, the leaves unfurl in search of the morning sun. This phenomenon is made possible by a small "joint" the plant possesses between the stem and leaf.