Native to the rainforests of Brazil, Goeppertia zebrina has been a houseplant staple long enough to earn genuine credentials: an RHS Award of Garden Merit and a place in homes that take their indoor plants seriously. Growing to three feet tall and wide, it produces leaves up to 18 inches long — dark velvety green above, with light green stripes running along the veins in a pattern that explains both its common names. The undersides are reddish-purple. Each evening the leaves fold upward in the nyctinastic response that defines the prayer plant family, and each morning they open again, a rhythm that gives the plant a quiet daily animation even when nothing else in the room is moving.

Care is straightforward once the basic conditions are met. It wants indirect light and consistently moist, well-drained soil — peat-based or African violet mix both work well. Tap water with fluoride causes the leaf tips and edges to brown; distilled or collected rainwater sidesteps the problem. Humidity above 60 percent is important, and cold drafts or sudden temperature swings will show immediately in the foliage. If brought outdoors in summer, it must come back inside before temperatures fall below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Repot every two years, propagate by division, and feed monthly through the growing season.