The Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura) is a popular houseplant celebrated for its vibrantly patterned foliage and the unique movement of its leaves, which fold upward at night. As the plant matures, owners often notice small, pale protrusions emerging from the stems above the soil line, called aerial roots. These structures develop from the plant’s stem tissue rather than from the main root ball within the pot.
Identifying Aerial Roots on a Prayer Plant
Prayer Plant aerial roots are distinct from the thicker, white subterranean roots that anchor the plant in the soil. They typically emerge from the stem nodes, the slightly swollen points on the vine where the leaves and side shoots originate. These roots appear as thin, pale white or light tan filaments that extend outward from the stem, generally growing downward or horizontally into the air.
Unlike the roots of many climbing plants designed to grip surfaces, Maranta aerial roots are delicate and do not strongly adhere to walls or moss poles. They can sometimes be slightly fuzzy in texture. They should not be confused with the plant’s rhizomes, which are much thicker, remain beneath the soil surface, and serve as underground storage organs.
Biological Function of Aerial Root Growth
The formation of aerial roots reflects the Prayer Plant’s native environment on the floor of the Brazilian tropical forests. In this habitat, the plant exhibits a low-growing, sprawling nature, sending out stems that creep along the moist ground. As the stems grow horizontally, the plant uses its aerial roots to anchor itself and establish new points of growth.
These roots perform the dual function of providing minor physical stability and seeking out atmospheric resources. In the high-humidity environment of the rainforest, these roots are adapted to absorb moisture and dissolved nutrients directly from the humid air and surrounding organic material.
Management and Care for Aerial Roots
The appearance of aerial roots on your indoor Prayer Plant is a normal part of the plant’s morphology and does not require immediate intervention. Pruning is generally unnecessary, as clipping these roots does not affect the plant’s overall health or growth habit.
If the appearance is bothersome or the roots seem to be reaching excessively, it can indicate a need for higher ambient humidity. Since the plant is naturally adapted to absorb moisture from the air, a proliferation of aerial roots may be an attempt to compensate for dry indoor conditions. Increasing the local humidity with a pebble tray or a room humidifier will often reduce the plant’s need to produce these roots for moisture absorption.
A practical option is to guide the aerial roots back into the potting mix, which encourages them to convert into functional subterranean roots. This process allows the roots to fully absorb water and nutrients from the soil, benefiting the plant’s vigor. Alternatively, if the plant’s sprawling stems have grown long enough, you can repot the plant and bury the exposed stem sections containing the aerial roots under a layer of soil. This action promotes a denser, bushier growth habit.