Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Rabbit's Foot Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura var. kerchoveana)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Rabbit's Foot Prayer Plant, Rabbit's Foot, Green Prayer Plant, Prayer Plant, Rabbit Tracks.

More about rabbit's foot prayer plant

About Rabbit's Foot Prayer Plant

Maranta leuconeura var. kerchoveana · also called Rabbit's Foot Prayer Plant, Rabbit's Foot · houseplant

Rabbit's Foot Prayer Plant is a low, spreading Marantaceae houseplant prized for soft green leaves marked with rabbit-track blotches that fold upward at night. It wants bright indirect light, consistently moist soil, and high humidity. The ASPCA lists Maranta as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, making it a reassuring pet-safe choice.

Cold limit: USDA 11-12 (grown as a houseplant elsewhere) (18-27 C)

Watch for — Curling or limp leaves: A sign of underwatering, dry air, or cold drafts. Check soil moisture, boost humidity, and keep it away from heating vents and air conditioners.

What rabbit's foot prayer plant's hardiness rating actually means

Rabbit's Foot Prayer Plant 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 elsewhere) — 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). Rabbit's Foot Prayer Plant has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for rabbit's foot prayer plant 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 rabbit's foot prayer plant 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 rabbit's foot prayer plant can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Rabbit's Foot Prayer Plant hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is rabbit's foot prayer plant cold hardy?

Rabbit's Foot Prayer Plant 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. Rabbit's Foot Prayer Plant can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 11-12 (grown as a houseplant elsewhere)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature rabbit's foot prayer plant can survive?

What hardiness zone is rabbit's foot prayer plant?

Rabbit's Foot Prayer Plant is rated USDA 11-12 (grown as a houseplant elsewhere) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can rabbit's foot prayer plant 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 rabbit's foot prayer plant 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.