Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Calathea Loeseneri (Brazilian Star) (Goeppertia loeseneri)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Brazilian star calathea, Calathea loeseneri.

More about calathea loeseneri (brazilian star)

About Calathea Loeseneri (Brazilian Star)

Goeppertia loeseneri · also called Brazilian star calathea, Calathea loeseneri · flowering

Calathea loeseneri, the Brazilian star, is one of the few prayer plants grown as much for its starry pink-white blooms as its long, narrow green leaves. Native to Amazonian rainforests, it craves warmth, humidity, and dappled light. Pet-safe and foliage-friendly, it flowers more readily than most calatheas in good conditions.

Cold limit: USDA 10-12 (indoor in most US homes) · RHS H1b (18-27°C)

Watch for — Limp, curling foliage: Underwatering or cold drafts. Keep soil consistently moist and temperatures warm and stable.

What calathea loeseneri (brazilian star)'s hardiness rating actually means

Calathea Loeseneri (Brazilian Star) is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1b means: Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10-12 (indoor in most US homes) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 10 °C (sustained cold below this is damaging). Calathea Loeseneri (Brazilian Star) has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for calathea loeseneri (brazilian star) as it gets too cold:

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can calathea loeseneri (brazilian star) go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when calathea loeseneri (brazilian star) can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Calathea Loeseneri (Brazilian Star) hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is calathea loeseneri (brazilian star) cold hardy?

Calathea Loeseneri (Brazilian Star) is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Calathea Loeseneri (Brazilian Star) can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-12 (indoor in most US homes)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature calathea loeseneri (brazilian star) can survive?

What hardiness zone is calathea loeseneri (brazilian star)?

Calathea Loeseneri (Brazilian Star) is rated USDA 10-12 (indoor in most US homes) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can calathea loeseneri (brazilian star) survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to calathea loeseneri (brazilian star) below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.