In this way, your original plant can last for decades! How to Care for a Zebra Plantīecause they are tropical, Aphelandra zebra plants prefer warm climates and will do well in average household temperatures around 70☏. Remove the bottom leaves and stick the stem cuttings directly into potting medium or into a glass of water until new roots form. New plants are easily grown from 4- to 6-inch (10-15 cm.) stem cuttings. Part of how to care for a zebra plant is propagation. Even with excellent zebra plant care, your Aphelandra squarrosa will only give you a few years of pleasure, but don’t despair.

They’re usually pretty small at the time of purchase and many indoor gardeners consider them a short-lived friend. Their brightly colored flowers and bracts make for a prized display. This zebra houseplant is known for its large, shiny leaves and dark green foliage deeply veined in white or yellow, reminiscent of zebra stripes, hence the common name. These “zebra plants” are members of a large Brazilian family and in their rain forest habitats, grow into large, upright shrubs that bloom profusely in the moist, tropical heat. Our subject here is Aphelandra squarrosa. There are two types of zebra houseplants and when you look at their scientific (Latin) classification, you can see that Calathea zebrina and Aphelandra squarrosa have nothing in common other than their common names. I write them for gardeners who have an interest in such things and, yes, I admit I’ve spouted them off a few times to people who think gardeners are all overgrown children who like to play in the dirt, but the truth is, I prefer the more fanciful common names – until I run into something like zebra plants. Those long, difficult to pronounce binomials always trip up my tongue.

Perhaps you want to know how to care for a zebra plant, or maybe how to get zebra plant to bloom, but before you can find the answers to questions about zebra pant care, you need to find out which zebra plant you have sitting in your window.

Zebra 2 tropical house