Earth star
Cryptanthus bivittatus
Also called Cryptanthus, Starfish plant and Rose-stripe star
Houseplant · Patterned foliageIt has almost no roots — they anchor it and little else — so it drinks through the leaves and a shallow dish of bark suits it better than a pot of compost. One flowering, then it makes offsets and the parent goes.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Once a weekDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- Bright indirect
- Feed
- Every 60 days
- Humidity
- Average to high
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out in high summer RHS H1B, to 10°C
- Size
- 0.1 m tall · 0.3 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- Eastern Brazil
Is it safe for pets and people?
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
ASPCA lists this plant by this exact name — "Earth Star" — as Cryptanthus bivattus minor, their spelling of bivittatus. Non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses, and Cryptanthus zonatus is listed non-toxic beside it.
Checked against ASPCA on 2026-09-22.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- The centre of the star goes soft and brown and the whole rosette lifts off the compost with almost no root attached. It was potted deep or watered into the middle.Crown rot · disease
- A small flower appears down in the centre, and over the following months the star fades and shrivels while two or three little ones push out from under it. This is the plant finishing normally — pot the offsets on.The parent dying after flowering · disorder