Is this a Calathea 'Medallion'? A comparison of individual varieties with Calathea Medallion.
- boedefeld
- Jan 25
- 4 min read
Goeppertia 'Medallion' is probably one of the most common varieties in stores. And yet, she is still constantly confused. Here we show you the most common mix-ups and how to tell the different varieties apart.
How can I recognize a Goeppertia Roseopicta?
G.'Medallion" is a variety of the species 'Roseopicta', so here are first a few general characteristics.
The species 'Roseopicta' belongs to the genus 'Goeppertia' (formerly 'Calathea') and is distinguished by its large, round to oval leaves.
They grow upright and bushy, and within their species, there is a wide range of different varieties, cultivars and hybrids.
Therefore, it is not surprising that there are also leaf patterns that look very similar.
Which varieties are most often confused?
As the main actor in this comparison, we put G.'Medallion' on stage, and opposite her we place:
Here you can skip the individual descriptions and go straight to the direct comparisons of the different varieties with G.'Medallion'.
Like all the varieties presented below, the upper side of the leaf is dark green with a feathery, light green pattern in the center.
The underside of the leaf is dark red to purple.
What does Goeppertia 'Medallion' look like?
Typical for this variety is the narrow, white pattern. It is consistent in width and clearly defined.
That means the white forms a distinct line, and all the leaves exhibit a uniform pattern.
In addition, the white pattern is set inward, so that there is a distinct, wide green leaf edge.
How can I recognize a Goeppertia 'Shinestar'?
'Shinestar' has a broad, white pattern on the leaf. The white is also irregularly streaked with green from the leaf, and the outer edge of the pattern appears frayed (white speckles on the green border).
Toward the outer edge, the leaf green - speckled with the white pattern - is still visible in 'Shinestar'.
Have you ever seen a Goeppertia 'Marion'?
'Marion' is currently rather rarely found in German stores, although fortunately we were recently able to grab her at Ikea.
The white band on Goeppertia 'Marion' extends almost to the edge of the leaf, but a narrow green strip is still visible along the outer edge.
The white pattern is relatively wide and even. This means that the green of the leaf does not extend into the white, resulting in clear lines and boundaries of the individual color areas.
What is a Goeppertia 'Julia'?
The attentive observer may have by now noticed that we are increasing the breadth of the white pattern.
In 'Julia', the white pattern actually extends all the way to the outer edge of the leaf. If anything, only a minimal amount of green can be seen at the edges on a few scattered leaves.
The white pattern here also has no green inclusions, so 'Julia' has a clear, white, broad leaf pattern.
What does a Goeppertia 'Medallion v2' or 'Misty' look like?
Confusions between 'Medallion' and 'Medallion v2' are probably quite limited, but we still want to include her here because of the name.
As can be seen in the picture, the entire leaf pattern in 'Medallion v2' seems to develop somewhat differently than in all previous varieties.
In the center, 'Medallion v2' also has the feather-like pattern in a light green color.
The difference here is that the center of the leaf doesn't have a large area of dark green, but rather it looks as if the middle part of the leaf is white or cream in its base color.
The central light green feather pattern is then followed by another feather-like, dark green pattern, which irregularly extends into the wide light area.
The light leaf pattern is therefore irregularly running inward due to the dark green pattern, but toward the outer edge, white and green are clearly seperated.
Direct comparison of the individual varieties with Goeppertia 'Medallion'
Now we have taken a closer look at the different varieties individually, but what do they look like in a direct comparison?
Here, for better illustration, a direct comparison.
Goeppertia 'Medallion' vs. 'Shinestar'
In direct comparison, it is clear here that the white band in 'Shinestar' is noticeably wider and looks frayed, with white speckles on the outer green edge.
Goeppertia 'Medallion' vs. 'Marion'
'Marion' has clear color boundaries in her pattern like 'Medallion', but the white marking is much wider and extends almost to the edge of the leaf.
Goeppertia 'Medallion' vs. 'Julia'
The direct comparison of 'Julia' and 'Medallion' shows that the white in 'Julia' extends completely to the outer edge of the leaf.
Goeppertia 'Medallion' vs. 'Medallion v2'
'Medallion' and 'Medallion v2' are clearly recognizable as sisters. However, the irregular, dark green pattern in the middle part of the leaf in 'Medallion v2' makes her look a bit more unique visually.
We hope our comparison of individual varieties with Calathea Medallion will help you with easy identification of these in the future.
Here you can find our blog overview, where you will find more interesting topics.
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