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Species library › Fittonia › Fittonia gigantea
Terrarium Well documented

Fittonia gigantea

The tall, upright member of the nerve-plant genus, from the forest floor of Ecuador and Peru. Most specimens are from lowland Amazonian rainforest, and a few from the Pacific slope. It is larger and more upright than the familiar creeping Fittonia albivenis and has similar needs: shade, warmth, constant moisture and high humidity. It suits a large terrarium or a humid, shady corner of a plant room.

Fittonia gigantea
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry
Light ShadeDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Forest floor and understory in lowland and foothill rainforest, including primary forest, disturbed primary forest and secondary regrowth ('rastrojos'). One Ecuadorian record is from seasonal evergreen forest in Guayas.

GBIF specimens run from near sea level (about 75 m in Guayas, 200–350 m in Pastaza and Orellana) to about 550–700 m in San Martín and Morona-Santiago, and 1,075 m in Piura.

EcuadorPeru

🔒 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 Fittonia

Fittonia albivenis

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 4.0 licence, unmodified.