Chocolate Soldier
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called Episcia, Lace Flower, Lace Flower Vine and laceflower vine.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
Most foliage plants prefer more humidity than a heated room gives; succulents are named as an exceptionPenn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1B — 10–15°C 10–15 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Watering
- Keep it from drying out, and do not leave it standing in water.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- By division.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Take softwood cuttings, or layer by pegging runners into the soil and letting them root before detaching them from the parent plant.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pinch out stems for bushier growth.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by thrips and mealybugs. Diseases: grey moulds can occur.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Move something and watch
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Photographs
About the plant
- Native range
- Mexico (Guerrero) to NW. ColombiaWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Mexico to Northwest ColombiaNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Mexico to ColombiaRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- wet tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- epiphytic subshrubWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Herbaceous Perennial, Succulent; habit clumping, dense, spreadingNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Matforming, Trailing (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height up to 12 in; width up to 12 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 0.1-0.5 metres; spread 0.5-1 metres after 2–5 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers whiteNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers white in spring and summer; purple in spring and summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
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Goldfish plantCrisp margins that appear in winter
Lipstick plantBuds that yellow and drop on a leafy plant
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Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.