Chinese money plant
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Forgiving Among the more tolerant plants here.
Also called coin plant, Friendship Plant, Missionary Plant, Pancake Plant and UFO Plant.
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.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn 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.
H1C — 5–10°C 5–10 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Chalk, 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
How it usually goes wrong
- Brown tips on the newest leaf blades first
The Chinese money plant browns at the very tips first, and the brown line creeps back along the edges over weeks. The tissue is dry and brittle, not soft.
Penn State Extension cites ASHRAE's recommended indoor range of 30% to 60% relative humidity; a heated room in winter drops below it. Air that dry pulls water from the leaf faster than the roots replace it, and the margins are furthest from the supply.
Telling it apart: Whether it crumbles or smears. Crisp is water lost; soft and dark is cold or rot.
Penn State ExtensionDiagnose brown tips and edges on this Chinese money plant- The vine deflates, and lifts again within hours of a soak
Leaf blades on the Chinese money plant turn dull and soft before any colour changes, and water poured on the dry surface runs straight down the inside of the pot.
Its source describes well-drained soil. Below that the cells lose pressure, and pressure is what holds a leaf blade out straight.
Telling it apart: Water it and look the same evening. A thirsty plant firms up fast; one that does not has a root problem instead.
RHSDiagnose drooping on this Chinese money plant- The vine leans hard toward the window
Compare this year's growth on the Chinese money plant with last year's: new leaf blades are smaller, thinner and a paler green, and the gap below each one is longer.
Placed below what its source describes, the plant prioritises reaching over building. Longer stems and smaller leaves are that choice made visible.
Telling it apart: Whether it leans. A plant reaching for a window is answering a light question, and it leans before it pales.
RHSChinese money plant leggy, leaning growth: causes
Not sure which it is? Ask the diagnosis questions for Chinese money plant.
Routine care
- Propagation
- Offsets (pups) and stem cuttings can both be used. Spring or early summer, while the plant is actively growing, is the best time.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026In spring, sow seed, divide or detach rosettes.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning is not needed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Scale insects can attack it. Disease risk: powdery mildews.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Move something and watch
Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.
Photographs
About the plant
Pilea peperomioides, the Chinese money plant, UFO plant, pancake plant, lefse plant or missionary plant, is a species of flowering plant in the nettle family Urticaceae, native to Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in southern China.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- China (SW. Sichuan, W. Yunnan)World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026China South-CentralNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026SW ChinaRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- temperateWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- perennial or subshrubWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Perennial; habit clumping, erectNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Bushy (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 8–12 in; width 8–12 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 0.1-0.5 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 5–10 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers pink, white; blooms in springNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers cream in summer; green in summer; pink in summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
Common problems with Chinese money plant
Other Pilea
More of the Urticaceae family
Plants with similar care
Arrowhead plantEdges of the leaf blades brown while the middle stays sound
Inch plantBleached patches on the side facing the glass
PothosBrown brittle margins with a green centre
Satin pothosCrisp margins that appear in winter
Dwarf umbrella treeA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
Grape ivyCrisp margins that appear in winter
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.