Plant · GBIF taxon 7708211
Peacock Plant
Goeppertia makoyanaAlso known as Cathedral Windows, Brain Plant
Peacock plants thrive on the humid floor of eastern Brazil's tropical rainforests, where their paper-thin leaves unfurl with intricate feather-like patterns of dark and pale green. Specialized swollen joints at the base of the leaf stalks, called pulvini, allow the foliage to fold upward toward the stems each night and lower again by morning. Small pale violet or white tubular flowers emerge intermittently near the base of the clump, adapted for pollination by specialized forest bees.
RainforestFoliage PlantNyctinastic
Licensed referenceChhe (talk) / Public domain · cc0
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Autotrophic (photosynthetic)
Predators
- Spider Mites
- Mealybugs
- Slugs and Snails
ThreatsHabitat loss from deforestation and agricultural expansion in the Atlantic Forest
HabitatsTropical lowland rainforest understory and damp forest margins
Life spanPerennial (decades via rhizomatous spread)
Classification
- OrderZingiberales
- FamilyMarantaceae
- GenusGoeppertia
- SpeciesGoeppertia makoyana
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance and non-toxic to dogs and cats.
Responsible observation
- Watch the Pulvini: Observe the leaves in late afternoon to watch them steadily fold upward for the night.
- Inspect the Undersides: Look beneath the leaves to see rich purple-red patterning mirroring the upper surface.
Same Genus (c) Diogo Luiz, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Same Genus (c) lcchacon21, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by lcchacon21 · cc-by
Same Family João Medeiros / CC BY 2.0 · cc-by
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