Creeping Basket Plant
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called "Bolivian Jew", Chain Plant, Creeping Inch-Plant, creeping inchplant, Inch Plant and Turtle 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
- Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- 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
- Chalk, Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Neutral or AlkalineRHS · 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
- In the growing season, water generously and feed monthly with a liquid fertiliser.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- In the growing season water generously and give a liquid fertiliser each month.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- Stem cuttings, offsets or seeds are used for propagation.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Increase from softwood cuttings; from root cuttings in spring, taking a 6-7cm piece from the tip of the root; or by division, detaching offsets that have rooted. For thick cover, pot several cuttings together in an 8cm container.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning can keep growth in check.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Pruning is not needed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Usually free of pests and diseases.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Callisia repens, also known as creeping inchplant or turtle vine, is a succulent creeping plant from the family Commelinaceae. This species comes from Central and South America.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- SE. Texas to Trop. AmericaWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Southeast Texas to Tropical AmericaNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- seasonally dry tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- annual or subshrubWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Ground Cover, Perennial, Succulent, Vine; habit ascending, cascading, creeping, dense, multi-stemmed, prostrateNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Matforming, Trailing (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 4–6 in; width 24–48 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 0.1-0.5 metres; spread 0.5-1 metres after 5–10 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers pink, white; blooms in spring, summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers white in spring and summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
More of the Commelinaceae family
Inch plantBleached patches on the side facing the glass
- No photograph yetInch PlantSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
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- No photograph yetSpiderwortSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Tahitian Bridal VeilSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
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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
- Wikipedia · 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.