Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Calathea Roseopicta 'Cynthia' (Goeppertia roseopicta 'Cynthia')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Calathea Cynthia.

More about calathea roseopicta 'cynthia'

About Calathea Roseopicta 'Cynthia'

Goeppertia roseopicta 'Cynthia' · also called Calathea Cynthia · houseplant

'Cynthia' is a striking roseopicta selection with glossy dark-green leaves marked by a bold rose-to-cream feathered band tracing the leaf margin and a pink-blushed centre, set over purple undersides. A true prayer plant, it folds at dusk. It needs warmth, even moisture, high humidity and bright indirect light to flourish.

Cold limit: USDA 11-12 (grown as a houseplant in most of the US) · RHS H1b (18-27°C)

What calathea roseopicta 'cynthia''s hardiness rating actually means

Calathea Roseopicta 'Cynthia' 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 11-12 (grown as a houseplant in most of the US) — 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 Roseopicta 'Cynthia' has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for calathea roseopicta 'cynthia' 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 roseopicta 'cynthia' 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 roseopicta 'cynthia' can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Calathea Roseopicta 'Cynthia' hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is calathea roseopicta 'cynthia' cold hardy?

Calathea Roseopicta 'Cynthia' 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 Roseopicta 'Cynthia' can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 11-12 (grown as a houseplant in most of the US)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature calathea roseopicta 'cynthia' can survive?

What hardiness zone is calathea roseopicta 'cynthia'?

Calathea Roseopicta 'Cynthia' is rated USDA 11-12 (grown as a houseplant in most of the US) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can calathea roseopicta 'cynthia' 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 roseopicta 'cynthia' 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.