Dischidia nummularia

string-of-nickels

A small epiphytic climber in the milkweed family with strings of tiny, round, succulent leaves that hug tree trunks. It ranges from India and southern China through Southeast Asia to northern Australia, mostly in the lowlands, and is sold as string-of-nickels or button orchid. Grow it warm and bright on a mount or in a hanging pot, letting it dry between waterings.

Dischidia nummularia — Photo: Christian Hummert (Ixitixel), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At home, aim for

Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry

Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

No rest periodGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

Climbs over and hangs from the trunks and branches of trees in lowland forest, forest edges and more open, disturbed places, rooting along its stems into bark and moss. Its thick leaves store water, so it tolerates spells of drying.

Mostly a lowland plant. GBIF records with elevations run from sea level to about 1400 m, median about 60 m.

IndiaChinaMyanmarThailandLaosVietnamMalaysiaSingaporeIndonesiaPhilippinesNew GuineaAustralia

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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More Dischidia

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.