The Official name for these curious flowers is “Calathea” but we call them “Shakers”. When the flower dries, the seeds inside make a shaking sound. Calathea also have an appearance of the scales on a rattle snake. The serpent-like scales interweave forming a remarkable pattern.

The Shaker flowers range from 6″ – 12″ tall and little yellow flowers appear within the bracts themselves.  The flat bracts grow in upright clusters from the stems of 8 foot tall leaves. The plants grow in clumps of attractive bright green leaves and flower year round in Kauai. This unusual flower came to us from the rain forests of Central America.

Some of the varieties in Kalani Tropicals’ collection include “Yellow Rattle”, “Bronze Rattle”, and “White Snake”. Calathea are members of the Arrowroot family.