Taken by Fanghong · CC BY-SA 3.0
About
This popular houseplant, known by common names like the aluminum plant or watermelon pilea, is valued for its attractive, dark-green foliage marked by distinctive silvery patches. *Pilea cadierei* is an evergreen perennial that is also non-toxic to common household pets.
Field notes
Morphology
The plant grows up to 60 cm tall and features dark-green, obovate leaves that are parchment-like, measuring 2.5 to 6 cm in length and 1.5 to 3 cm in width. These leaves have a broad, wedge-shaped base and a spiky tip, and are characterized by two subdivided white furrows on the upper side that create silvery raised areas. The petioles are typically 7 to 15 millimeters long, and the plant forms subterranean rhizomes.
Distribution & habitat
Endemic to the southern Chinese provinces of Guizhou and Yunnan, as well as Vietnam.
Cultivation notes
In temperate regions, *Pilea cadierei* is cultivated as a houseplant with a minimum temperature of 15 °C (59 °F). It is easy to propagate through cuttings and is non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses.
History & etymology
The specific epithet cadierei refers to the 20th-century botanist R.P. Cadière.
Habitat
- Altitude
- —
- Altitude Class
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Cultivation
- Difficulty
- intermediate
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