Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Calathea Warscewiczii (Jungle Velvet) (Goeppertia warszewiczii)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Jungle Velvet Calathea, Velvet Calathea, Calathea Warscewiczii, Velvet-leaf Calathea.

More about calathea warscewiczii (jungle velvet)

About Calathea Warscewiczii (Jungle Velvet)

Goeppertia warszewiczii · also called Jungle Velvet Calathea, Velvet Calathea · houseplant

Jungle Velvet (Goeppertia warszewiczii, formerly Calathea warscewiczii) is a tropical prayer plant prized for soft, velvety dark-green leaves with fishtail patterning and rare white cone flowers. It wants bright indirect light, high humidity, evenly moist soil and filtered water. The ASPCA lists Calathea as non-toxic, so it is pet-safe.

Cold limit: USDA 10-12 (grown as a houseplant elsewhere; not frost-tolerant) (18-29C)

What calathea warscewiczii (jungle velvet)'s hardiness rating actually means

Calathea Warscewiczii (Jungle Velvet) 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 (grown as a houseplant elsewhere; not frost-tolerant) — 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). Calathea Warscewiczii (Jungle Velvet) has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for calathea warscewiczii (jungle velvet) 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 calathea warscewiczii (jungle velvet) 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 calathea warscewiczii (jungle velvet) can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Calathea Warscewiczii (Jungle Velvet) hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is calathea warscewiczii (jungle velvet) cold hardy?

Calathea Warscewiczii (Jungle Velvet) 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 Warscewiczii (Jungle Velvet) can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-12 (grown as a houseplant elsewhere; not frost-tolerant)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature calathea warscewiczii (jungle velvet) can survive?

What hardiness zone is calathea warscewiczii (jungle velvet)?

Calathea Warscewiczii (Jungle Velvet) is rated USDA 10-12 (grown as a houseplant elsewhere; not frost-tolerant) and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can calathea warscewiczii (jungle velvet) 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 calathea warscewiczii (jungle velvet) 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.