Prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura) is a flowering plant of the family Marantaceae, known for its large underground starchy rhizomes or tubers. It is native to the New World tropics.
The leaves of this plant tend to fold together at night, like a pair of praying hands hence the name ‘Prayer Plant’. Prayer plants are grown as houseplants for their large ornamental leaves, which are variegated in shades of green, white, and pink.
Prayer plant is a generic term that refers to members of genus Maranta, to which genus Calathea is closely-related. They’re all considered to be Prayer plants
There are around 30 Genera under the family Marantaceae. Maranta, Stromanthe, Calathea (now Geoppertia), and Ctenanthes are widely known.