The Unique Tropical Indoor Plant That Thrives In The Bathroom

We all know a splash of green next to the tub makes a long soak in the bathtub feel even more luxurious and relaxing, but we can't rely on decorating preferences alone if we want to keep the houseplant chosen for this purpose alive. We'll want to pick the best indoor plants for every room in the house, and when it comes to the bathroom, velvet calathea (Goeppertia rufibarba) is a shoo-in that thrives where other plants might wither.

Velvet calatheas are tropicals whose leaves are green on the tops and purple on the undersides. Their wavy foliage is coated with velvet-like red fur, which inspires one of the other common names given to this houseplant — furry feather calathea. These indoor plants can grow to be up to 3 feet tall with a 2-foot spread, so with their larger size and eye-catching textures, they'll make a big visual impact next to your tub. And as a member of the prayer plant family, velvet calathea's foliage doesn't just suggest movement, its leaves actually lift up at night and lower again in the morning.

There are two features that make these unusual plants well-adapted to your bathroom. The first is luminosity. Most restrooms don't have picture windows, so the light in these rooms of our homes tends to be dimmer than in the kitchen or common living areas. This makes bathrooms good picks for tropical indoor plants that flourish without intense, direct sunshine — like velvet calatheas, which are adapted to bright, indirect light. If you want to add more than one type of plant, know that other types of calatheas will thrive in your lower-light bathroom too.

Velvet calatheas are among the moisture loving houseplant that are perfect for your bathroom. because they thrive in spaces with high levels of humidity. These parts of our homes tend to become very humid because of people routinely using the shower, the bath, or washing their hands at the vanity. The high moisture levels in the air mean that calatheas get their needs met without you having to do anything, turning this ordinarily high-maintenance plant into a low-maintenance option. By contrast, if you grow this plant in a different room, you may have to invest in a humidifier or remember to spritz your plant with water each day.