Rattlesnake plant, Krigo bugun
Calathea crotalifera

Family: Marantaceae

What it is like

A herb. It grows 3 m tall. It has underground rhizomes. The leaves are large and dark green with a paler green along the midrib. They are greyish green underneath. The flowering shoots are upright and 25 cm long. These have stacked leathery flower bracts. They are yellow or orange and the flowers peek out at the edges. The actual flowers are tube shaped with 3 unequal petals. The fruit capsules are egg shaped with dark blue seeds in white flesh.

There are 260-300 Calathea species in tropical America.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It suits wet areas. Brisbane Botanical Gardens.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Central America, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Hawaii, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, North America, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, South America, Venezuela

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Shoots

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Bijagua, Cascabel, Platanilla, Rattle shaker, Rattlesnake plant

Synonyms

Calathea insignis Petersen; Calathea insignis Petersen ex Eggers [Illegitimate]; Calathea quadratispica Woodson; Calathea sclerobractea K. Schum.; Phyllodes insigne (Petersen) Kuntze; Phyllodes insignis (Petersen) Kuntze;