Goeppertia ‘Beauty Star’

Background

‘Beauty Star’ is a cultivated Goeppertia known for its layered green, pink and silver leaf markings. It originated in cultivation.

How to grow ‘Beauty Star’

• Light: Use bright filtered light or light shade. Strong midday sun can fade the markings and leave dry patches.
• Watering: Keep the mix lightly and evenly moist, with free drainage. Water when the top of the mix starts to dry and let excess water escape through the drainage holes. In cooler rooms or darker weeks, check the mix by touch because it stays moist for longer.
• Humidity: Keep humidity on the higher side, especially in heated rooms. Pair humid conditions with gentle air circulation around the foliage.
• Temperature: Keep it consistently warm. Cold windowsills, draughts and direct radiator heat can damage the leaves.
• Potting mix: Choose a lightly moisture-retentive, airy mix with bark, perlite or similar material around the roots.
• Feeding: Feed once a month with a balanced houseplant fertiliser while new growth is steady. Stop regular feeds when active growth pauses.
• Structure: The compact clump holds itself upright. Rotate the pot occasionally so new leaves develop evenly around the clump.
• Repotting: Repot into a pot just one size larger after the clump has filled its container.
• Propagation: Separate a mature clump into well-rooted sections, each with several leaves or new shoots.

Common problems

• Dry brown margins: Low humidity and uneven moisture are common causes, especially in heated rooms. Raise humidity, water more consistently and check the brown leaf tips guide if the damage keeps returning.
• Leaves curling tightly or drooping: Check both moisture and temperature. Rewater if the mix is dry; if it is already wet, let it drain. Move the plant to a warmer part of the room if the leaves feel chilled.
• Yellow leaves: If the mix stays wet, reduce watering and inspect the root ball if yellowing continues. Disinfect your scissors first, remove the brown mushy roots, dispose of all cut material and replant in fresh airy mix; the root rot guide covers recovery in more detail.
• Fine speckling or webbing: Check beneath the leaves for spider mites. Isolate ‘Beauty Star’, clean away visible mites, then use a houseplant treatment labelled for spider mites. Repeat only at the interval given on the label.
• Dry bleached patches: Too much direct light is likely. Move the plant into filtered light and judge the improvement from each new leaf as it emerges.

Goeppertia ornata ‘Beauty Star’ is non-toxic to cats and dogs

• This plant is non-toxic to cats and dogs.
• Its effects on people are unclear, so keep it away from young children who may chew it.
• Eating a large amount can still cause an upset stomach. Seek medical or veterinary advice if symptoms continue.

Why do both Calathea ornata and Goeppertia ornata appear?

The genus name Goeppertia honours Heinrich Göppert. The epithet ornata is Latin for adorned or decorated, referring to the striped leaves.

Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck established the genus Goeppertia in 1831 in Linnaea, volume 6, page 337.

Charles Lemaire first described it as Maranta ornata in 1848 in Flore des Serres et des Jardins de l’Europe, volume 4, plate 413. Finn Borchsenius and Luz Stella Suárez later placed it in Goeppertia as Goeppertia ornata in 2012 in Systematic Botany, volume 37, page 633.

The familiar former name is Calathea ornata. Finn Borchsenius, Luz Stella Suárez and Linda M. Prince restored Goeppertia for this group in 2012 in Systematic Botany, volume 37.