Calathea crotalifera – Yellow Rattleshaker, Rattlesnake Plant

Description

This attractive plant in the Marantaceae family is a popular ornamental and commonly confused with Heliconia, which the broad, thin-stalked leaves to 2.5 m tall and especially the showy inflorescences resemble. The latter are made up of numerous, closely spaced, yellow bracts that somewhat remind of a rattlesnakes tail. Calathea crotalifera is widely distributed from southern Mexico throughout tropical South America.