The osiera belongs to the arrowroot family (Marantaceae) and originally comes from the Brazilian rainforests of South America. It is a beautiful ornamental leaf plant and impresses with its special and versatile marbled leaves. Are the different varieties of Korbmarante poisonous and what should be considered with small children and pets? We clarify all these questions for you in this plant expert article.
sorts
The Korbmarante, botanically Calathea, is a leaf ornamental plant that is mainly kept as a houseplant in this country. Corianders originally come from subtropical rain forests and therefore need a light to partially shaded location. They feel most comfortable at a constant temperature of over 20 degrees Celsius.
The most popular varieties of the over 300 species include:
- Calathea rufibarba
- Calathea lancifolia
- Calathea crocata
Calathea rufibarba
Calathea rufibarba is native to the rainforests of South Africa. The leaves of the plant are dark green on top and purple on the underside. Its yellow flowers grow from the ground. The Calathea rufibarba is not poisonous. It is therefore the ideal houseplant for families and pet owners.
Cork marante, Calathea zebrina
Calathea lancifolia
Calathea lancifolia is at home in the rainforests of Brazil. Its olive-green leaves are slightly wavy and have dark green markings. Its leaf underside is purple. As a houseplant, however, it is difficult to get it to flower. Calathea lancifolia is one of the non-toxic indoor plants.
Calathea crocata
The Calathea crocata comes from the rainforests of Brazil. Its leaves are dark green on top and brown-red on the underside. It produces orange flowers in January and February. Calathea crocata is non-toxic to humans and animals.
Calatheas impress with their white to yellow-orange flowers or with their leaves. Although they are a bit more demanding than other houseplants when it comes to care, they can also be kept in family households or households with animals. A partially shaded spot is the ideal location for a calathea. Also make sure that the plant gets enough humidity.
Tip: Spray the plant repeatedly with lime-free water. Setting up bowls of water also increases the humidity in the living areas.
Cork marante, Calathea zebrina
Danger
toddlers
babies and children
Babies and children are curious and spontaneous. In nature, many plants with their colorful berries attract children to nibble. The children's test of courage also includes tasting small pieces of plant leaves. And faster than you can see, a piece of paper is torn off and put into the child's mouth. When babies are crawling or have already started to walk, nothing is usually safe from them. Houseplants also pose a danger to babies, because many popular houseplants are poisonous to babies and children.
If babies or children live in the household, the green plant decoration should be chosen with care. If plants that are poisonous to babies or children are already present, a location should be sought for them out of the reach of the little ones. If you want to be on the safe side, it's best to give the plants away. The Korbmarante is one of the harmless houseplants.
Coriander, Calathea roseopicta
Tip: Explain to the child why they are not allowed to try plants “just like that”. From the age of 4, the child should understand your concerns.
First aid
If the child or baby has tasted a poisonous plant, first and foremost remain calm. Give the child juice, water or tea to drink, not milk or saline. Also, do not try to make the child vomit. Save the plant remains for the doctor or take them with you. If the poisonous plant can be clearly identified, take a branch or the whole plant with you if you do not know the exact name of the plant. The more precisely the doctor can identify the plant, the more precisely he can treat the child or baby.
pets
Our pets, including carnivores, love to nibble on indoor plants. Some even like certain houseplants to eat. Unfortunately, many pets cannot distinguish between poisonous and non-toxic plants. A review of the database of the Berlin poison information center at the Charité has shown that Korbmaranten are not poisonous for pets.
Basket Marante, Calathea makoyana
cats
Cats sometimes need plant-based food to clean their stomach of indigestible remains, such as fur. The grass or leaves of plants serve to regurgitate these remains. The domestic cat also needs this natural process. That's why you see cats nibbling on house or balcony plants again and again.
Feral cats know instinctively which plants they can and cannot eat. This instinct has been lost in our domestic cats. So the cat nibbles on a wide variety of plants, regardless of whether they are poisonous to them or not. In order to protect the cat from itself, so to speak, the owner's mindfulness is required. Before buying a plant, cat owners should find out whether it is “cat friendly”. Because some plants are harmless to humans, but poisonous to cats.
Coriander, Calathea roseopicta
Non-toxic houseplants for cats include all species of wicker. Although the cats can vomit after eating the plant, this is considered harmless. If the cat doesn't recover, consider nibbling on another plant that is poisonous to them. If you can't keep an eye on your cat all the time, you should offer cat grass or catnip. And remove all plants poisonous to cats from the apartment.
Cork marante, Calathea zebrina
dogs
Like cats, dogs occasionally eat grass or leaves. The exact reasons why dogs do this have not yet been definitively researched scientifically. To this day it is certain that if the dog eats too much "green food" it is not healthy. The causes can be psychological or physiological. Or the reasons lie in the diet. It is believed that dogs instinctively eat grass or leaves when their stomach is upset or they have gas. Then the bitter substances should serve as a remedy for the dog.
When it comes to indoor plants, dogs do not differentiate between poisonous and non-poisonous plants. Although dogs eat indoor plants less often than cats, they can also become poisoned with the plants. Therefore, caution is also required here. Houseplants that are safe for dogs include all types of wicker.