Native to the tropical forests of northeast Brazil, Ctenanthe oppenheimiana is the largest of the common Ctenanthe species in cultivation, reaching three feet or more with an upright, unbranched form that is all about its leaves. Those leaves are long, lanceolate, and marked with evenly spaced silver-green bands on a dark green ground; in the cultivar Tricolor, which is most widely available, creamy white stripes join the silver markings and the leaf underside glows reddish-burgundy, making the plant look entirely different from above and below. As with all plants in the Marantaceae family, leaves fold upright in the evening and unfurl again each morning.

This is not a plant for an uncertain commitment. It requires bright indirect light, consistent humidity, warm temperatures above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and distilled or filtered water to protect the foliage from mineral damage. Monthly fertilizing during active growth and annual repotting in spring are recommended; propagation is by division or stem cuttings. Brown leaf margins usually signal underwatering; yellowing leaves point to the opposite. The flowers are insignificant and appear sporadically, but with foliage this striking, they are never the reason anyone grows this plant.