Zebra plant is a tropical, terrestrial, evergreen herbaceous perennial in the pineapple family (Bromeliaceae) grown as a house plant in NC. It is native to Brazil. The genus name means "hidden flower," The species epithet means “banded.” Provide it with bright indirect light for the best leaf color. For potting, use a mixture with good drainage. Warmth and humidity are essential. Give it a warm draft-free area, humidity and indirect light and it will happily grow for you. Too much sunlight will bleach the showy leaves. It forms a flat rosette of mid-green leaves with irregular whitish cross bands and undulating, serrated margins. Occasionally, it produces a succession of white star-like blooms from the center of the plant. Quick ID Hints : Leaves are prostrate, wavy, toothed and banded Flowers are sessile Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems; Mealybugs and scale are occasional problems.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Wet
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 6 in. - 1 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 1 ft. 4 in.
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Open; Prostrate
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Brown/Copper; Gray/Silver; Green; Pink; Red/Burgundy; Variegated; White
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Rosulate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Linear
Leaf margin
Denticulate; Undulate
Leaf value
Long-lasting; Showy
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The leaves form a rosette of green stiff leaves with wavy horizontal bands of silver-gray to cream with a pinkish cast. The leaf margins are wavy and toothed.
Flower color
White
Flower form
Corymb
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Occasionally they may produce a short stubby stem from the center of the rosette with white flowers in a terminal stemless corymb.
Bloom time
Summer
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
Brazil
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Houseplants
Landscape theme
Rock Garden
Garden tags
#houseplant #showy leaves #white flowers #interiorscape #evergreen #winter interest #fantz #humidity tolerant #groundcover #non-toxic for cats #non-toxic for horses #non-toxic for dogs #container plant #tropical herbaceous perennial #tropical