I attached a pic of the plant. It was given at a funeral, and I've been watering it, but not sure how to keep it from dying. It's steadily getting brown. :-( Please help, don't know what kind of plant it is or how it's supposed to be cared for.
It is Calathea 'Tuxtla'. All Calathea, Maranta need very humid conditions. Without that the leaves get brown edges. They love bright light, though no direct afternoon sunlight. Do not overwater, just keep the soil moist.
I believe this is a prayer plant. It doesn't like direct light and I believe it may have too much water since the leaves are turning yellow. Most plant's turn yellow if over watered and brown if under watered. Or it might be too dry of air, they like humid conditions, place it by other plants or place a small bowl of water by it.
You have a Calathea plant. These plants need humidity! Their thin leaves are prone to brown edges from drying if not supplied with some moisture in the air. They like bright indirect light and will burn up if exposed to high direct sun. Let the soil be moist but not wet or soggy. If you have been fertilizing it, back off, especially in winter months. You might want to wash out fertilizer salts by putting the pot in the sink and pouring lots of water through the soil so that it comes out the bottom of the pot in a stream. Do this several times in an hour and you will get rid of any salts that have built up...this could also cause the browning of the leaf edges. Never let this plant sit in water. Drain the pot thoroughly before placing it back in it's position in your home. Do you have chlorine in your water supply? This causes browning, too. To get rid of the chlorine, fill an open container with water and let it sit for 24 hours before using it to water your plants with. The chlorine will mostly dissapate as a gas. The water will also be room temp by then which is also a good thing! There is no way the plant will rid itself of the damage on the edges of it's leaves, so the best way to make it look better while it generates some new ones, is to take sharp shears (decontaminate their cutting edges with alcohol) and carefully trim off the browned edges. Good luck!
Some great advice here. I agree with Barbara about how to treat your Calathea. The best way to supply humidity to them is to mist the leaves daily. Be sure to cover surrounding surfaces with some type of waterproof material. You might be able to id which one you have here as well as care instructions. http://toptropicals.com/cgi-bin/garden_catalog/cat.cgi
Newt
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When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.
