Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

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

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

More about rabbit foot prayer plant

About Rabbit Foot Prayer Plant

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

Rabbit Foot Prayer Plant is a compact Brazilian rainforest native with distinctive pale green leaves marked by dark brown blotches. Its leaves fold upward at night in a prayer-like gesture. An excellent low-light houseplant. ASPCA-listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs, making it a top choice for pet households.

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

What rabbit foot prayer plant's hardiness rating actually means

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

Concretely, for rabbit 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 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 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 Foot Prayer Plant hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is rabbit foot prayer plant cold hardy?

Rabbit 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 Foot 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 rabbit foot prayer plant can survive?

What hardiness zone is rabbit foot prayer plant?

Rabbit Foot 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 rabbit 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 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.