Chinese Money Plant Care (Houseplant)
Plant Detail:
- Medium or high temperature
- Plenty of light, but out of direct sunlight
- Humus-rich, loose, well-drained substrate
- Moderate watering
- Evergreen
- Flower: spring
THE NORWEGIAN MISSIONARY PLANT
The trendy houseplant arrived in Europe, not without a touch of adventure, from its native Yunnan, in southwest China. A story circulates that Pilea peperomioides left Asia around 1946 in the luggage of Norwegian missionary Agnar Espegren, who took a small specimen first to India and from there to his country.
It is precisely from Scandinavia, where it is called the missionary plant, that it has emerged as a minimalist star. Curiously, its cultivation remained within the domestic sphere, multiplying and passing from hand to hand, unaware of scientific and horticultural circles.
Although a German botanist had described it in 1912, it wasn’t until the late 1980s that the European scientific community finally identified it.
It’s the trendy houseplant: small (about 30 centimeters), with strikingly round, fleshy, bright green leaves, where the veins accentuate their texture and subtle lighter flecks are visible when held up to the light.
Its long petioles and harmonious structure further enhance its appeal. The common name “Chinese money plant” has helped attract enthusiasts hoping that Pilea peperomioides will increase their fortune.
For all these reasons, and because it’s easy to grow, this plant has become the ideal green all-rounder for any bright corner of the house or a patio protected from direct sunlight in southern Spain and the Canary Islands (zones 10-11). It is very slow-growing.
Leaves
The beautiful, orbicular leaves of this plant also have the unique characteristic of being peltate, meaning that the petiole is not attached at the edge but rather at a point on the underside and perpendicularly, as is the case, for example, with the leaves of Begonia rex. In this way, the leaves rise up next to each other like small Chinese saucers.
Flowers
Under certain conditions, and after a period of relative cold, it can produce tiny white flowers in spring. These emerge from reddish flower buds distributed along thin, branching stems of the same color.
Cultivation and care
It should be placed out of direct sunlight to prevent the foliage from burning or yellowing. To maintain the plant’s rounded shape, it should be rotated once a week. The environment should be cool and bright so that it retains a good number of leaves and the petioles don’t become leggy.
It needs a humus-rich, loose, and well-draining substrate, and should be watered, allowing the soil to dry out between waterings; it is important that water does not accumulate at the base of the pot.
It is advisable to give it fertilizer for green plants or liquid humus every 15-30 days. Misting with water, especially in summer, will refresh it and prevent dust from accumulating on the leaves, which should be cleaned with a cloth dampened with soapy water, never with leaf shine products.
It can be affected by mealybugs, which should be removed by hand. It reproduces easily, either by separating the basal offshoots or by cuttings. In this case, the petiole should be left about two centimeters long and buried in a substrate with peat.
