Pilea serpyllacea

A small-leaved creeping Andean Pilea that forms mats on banks, rocks and walls in the high Andes of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. It likes cool, humid, fairly bright conditions with cold nights, and quickly suffers in warm, stuffy terrariums.

At home, aim for

Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry

Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

A low creeping or mat-forming herb on moist banks, rock faces, walls and forest edges in montane and upper montane zones; it often grows in disturbed or semi-open sites. Habitat detail is inferred from the measured sites and the genus.

Recorded from 375 to 3750 m, with a median of 2460 m across 78 records; most plants are in the 2000-3200 m Andean belt.

EcuadorPeruBolivia

🔒 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. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.