Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Cuban Cigar Calathea (Calathea lutea)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Cuban cigar calathea, Cigar calathea, Havana cigar plant, Mexican cigar plant, Bijao.

More about cuban cigar calathea

About Cuban Cigar Calathea

Calathea lutea · also called Cuban cigar calathea, Cigar calathea · tropical

Calathea lutea, the Cuban cigar plant, is a dramatic rhizomatous tropical in the prayer-plant family (Marantaceae) with huge paddle-shaped leaves backed in silvery-waxy bloom. It wants bright indirect light, steadily moist soil and high humidity. The ASPCA lists Calathea as non-toxic to cats and dogs, making it pet-safe.

Cold limit: USDA 10-12 (grow as a houseplant or overwinter indoors in cooler zones) (18-27 C)

Watch for — Limp growth in the cold: Exposure below about 13-15 C (55-60 F) or to cold draughts stresses the plant. Keep it warm and away from chilly windows, doors and air-con vents.

What cuban cigar calathea's hardiness rating actually means

Cuban Cigar Calathea 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 H1c means: Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10-12 (grow as a houseplant or overwinter indoors in cooler zones) — 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 5 °C (and never frost). Cuban Cigar Calathea has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for cuban cigar calathea as it gets too cold:

Below about about 5 °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 cuban cigar calathea go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °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 cuban cigar calathea can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Cuban Cigar Calathea hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is cuban cigar calathea cold hardy?

Cuban Cigar Calathea 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. Cuban Cigar Calathea can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-12 (grow as a houseplant or overwinter indoors in cooler zones)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature cuban cigar calathea can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Cuban Cigar Calathea has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is cuban cigar calathea?

Cuban Cigar Calathea is rated USDA 10-12 (grow as a houseplant or overwinter indoors in cooler zones) and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can cuban cigar calathea survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °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 cuban cigar calathea below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 5 °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.