Species library › Pilea › Pilea peperomioides
Terrarium Well documented

Pilea peperomioides

Chinese money plant

A succulent-stemmed nettle-family herb from the mountains of western Yunnan and southwestern Sichuan. It grows on shaded, moist rocks in forest at 1500–3000 m and is considered endangered in the wild. This is a cool, seasonal montane plant with a mild wet summer and a cold, dry, sunny winter, not a tropical one. It does best indoors with bright light and cool nights, and sulks in hot, stuffy conditions.

At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows on rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

On shaded, damp rocks, cliff ledges and mossy boulders in montane forest (reportedly often limestone), rooting into thin pockets of humus in crevices. The swollen stem and fleshy peltate leaves carry it through dry spells on rock.

Flora of China gives 1500–3000 m. None of the few wild records carry an elevation, and the single measured site appears to be far lower and hotter than this (see data disagreements).

China: western YunnanChina: southwestern Sichuan

🔒 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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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.