Chinese Money Plant Is a Hard-to-Resist Houseplant
Chinese money plant charms houseplant enthusiasts with its unique round leaves. This quirky plant is easy to grow and propagate.
Chinese money plant (Pilea peperomioides) is a unique-looking houseplant with perfectly round leaves held on long, thin stems. This plant experienced a surge in popularity in the early 2020s, when it was considered rare and hard to find among houseplant enthusiasts. Today supply has caught up, and it is fairly easy to source. It's also very easy to propagate and share with friends. Though no longer a scarcity, Chinese money plant remains appealing with its cheerful green leaves, quirky shape and ease of care.
Related: Check out our guide to growing another massively popular houseplant, the fiddle leaf fig.
Common name: Chinese money plant, pancake plant, UFO plant
Botanical name: Pilea peperomioides
Origin: Southern China
Foliage: Circular leaves, each with a long, thin petiole (leaf stem). Their color is bright to dark green.
Size and habit: The Chinese money plant grows as a clump of long-stemmed leaves attached to one main unbranched stem. Well-grown plants can stand over a foot tall, with leaves completely lining the stem—no bare spots at the base.
Related: For another quirky plant, check out the rabbit's foot fern.
Growing Chinese money plant
Exposure: Bright light, but avoid all-day direct sun. Try a spot close to an east- or west-facing window.
Related: In lower light, try the easy rippled peperomia.
How to grow it: Chinese money plant prefers bright light and can take short periods of direct sun during the day, but an all-day exposure to harsh sun will likely result in leaf scorch. Deep green leaves and compact growth indicate it is happy with its position; scraggly growth and a leaning posture could mean it needs more light.
This houseplant requires good drainage. Be sure to use a pot with at least one drainage hole. Plant it with a potting mix formulated for succulents or citrus plants, because these tend to be quick draining. Alternatively, add some coarse sand or orchid bark to all-purpose potting mix to improve its drainage. Do not over-pot a pilea; that is, make sure the roots fill at least half of the pot. If the pot is too large, the soil will take longer to dry and the plant may rot. Wait for roots to completely fill the pot before repotting, and then move up only one size larger.
Although Chinese money plant needs sharp drainage, it also likes regular deep watering. Water when the top inch of potting mix feels dry. Let water wash through the soil and out through the drainage hole of the pot. Remove any water from the saucer, if the pot has one.
This plant often puts out offshoots, or pups, around its base. Once it has several leaves of its own, a pup can be dug out and cut from the mother plant, including the rhizome by which it was attached. Pot the pup and rhizome, and it will thrive as a new plant. You may also find pups originating from the main stem. These can be removed and rooted in water. Be sure to remove the pup with a node intact (a node is a small joint from which roots will develop). Pot the pup once it shows several inches of roots.
Although this species is able to survive stints of near-freezing temperatures in its native habitat, it is typically grown as a houseplant and not considered winter hardy.
