Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Red Veined Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura var. erythroneura)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Herringbone Plant, Red Prayer Plant, Fishbone Prayer Plant.

More about red veined prayer plant

About Red Veined Prayer Plant

Maranta leuconeura var. erythroneura · also called Herringbone Plant, Red Prayer Plant · houseplant

Red Veined Prayer Plant is a Brazilian rainforest native prized for its striking dark green leaves with vivid red veins and lime-green feathering. Like all Marantas, leaves fold upward at night. Superb in terrariums and humid rooms. ASPCA-listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Cold limit: USDA 11-12 (indoor-only in most US homes) · RHS H1b (18-27°C)

Watch for — Loss of leaf movement: Leaves that no longer fold at night may indicate the plant is stressed by cold, drought, or root-bound conditions.

What red veined prayer plant's hardiness rating actually means

Red Veined 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 (indoor-only 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). Red Veined Prayer Plant has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for red veined 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 red veined 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 red veined 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.

Red Veined Prayer Plant hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is red veined prayer plant cold hardy?

Red Veined 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. Red Veined Prayer Plant can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 11-12 (indoor-only in most US homes)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature red veined prayer plant can survive?

What hardiness zone is red veined prayer plant?

Red Veined Prayer Plant is rated USDA 11-12 (indoor-only 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 red veined 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 red veined 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.