Plant library / Safe for cats & dogs
Pilea (Chinese Money Plant)
Pilea peperomioides
Non-toxic to cats and dogs
Round coin-shaped leaves that turn toward the light — rotate weekly for an even shape. Let the top few centimetres dry between waterings.
Toxicity
Safe
Not known to be toxic to cats.
Safe
Not known to be toxic to dogs.
Caution
Based on general horticultural consensus, not a pet-poison database.
Pet-safety information is a general guide from the ASPCA's toxic-plant database and covers cats and dogs only. "If eaten" summarises the symptoms ASPCA lists for that plant; how an animal actually reacts depends on how much it ate and on the animal. It isn't exhaustive, isn't veterinary advice, and individual animals vary — never rely on it as the sole basis for a decision about your pet. If you think your pet has eaten a harmful plant, contact a vet immediately.
Care
- WaterEvery 7–10 days
- LightBright, indirect
- HumidityAverage humidity
- Temperature15–25 °C
The same interval the Sabz app schedules reminders from. In autumn and winter the app stretches it; see houseplants in autumn.
Common problems
Pilea leaves drooping
A pilea droops for either reason, so feel the compost before doing anything. Dry and the pot light: it is thirsty, and a soak brings it back within hours. Wet days after watering: the roots are sitting in water and it needs to dry out, not drink more. It wants a drink every seven to ten days in summer, when the top few centimetres are dry.
Pilea leaves pale and curling
Pale leaves curling at the edges are sun scorch — a pilea wants bright light but not direct midday sun through glass. Move it back from the window or behind a sheer curtain; the faded leaves stay faded, and the new ones come in green and flat.
Pilea leggy stem
A long bare stem with the leaves crowded at the top is a pilea reaching for light and leaning towards the window. Give it brighter, indirect light and turn the pot a quarter every week so it grows evenly. The babies that come up around the base can be potted on once they have a few leaves.
Similar plants
- Aluminum Plant safePilea cadierei
- Artillery Plant safePilea microphylla
- Creeping Pilea safePilea nummulariifolia
- Swedish Ivy safePlectranthus australis
In the app
Add a pilea (chinese money plant) to Sabz and the watering interval above becomes a reminder, the toxicity verdict sits on the plant's own page, and when a leaf turns, the Check-up reads what you have actually logged to say why.
Free. No account, no analytics.