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Friendship Plant

Pilea involucrata, Urticaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called panamica, panamiga and panamigo.

Friendship Plant (Pilea involucrata), the whole plant.
Mokkie, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Toxicity is partly unassessed

  • Listed as non-toxic to cats by ASPCA.
  • Listed as non-toxic to dogs by ASPCA.
  • 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
Medium light 100 fc
Clemson Extension · read 13 September 2026
Partial shade
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Moist but well-drained
RHS · 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.

H1A — warmer than 15°C 15 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Non-toxic
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Non-toxic
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
Give moderate water in the growing season, and less from fall to late winter.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
In the growing season, water moderately and feed monthly with a balanced liquid feed; give little water in winter.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
Through the growing season, give moderate water and a monthly balanced liquid feed; in winter water sparingly.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Stem cuttings root readily, so it is easy to share with friends, which is how it got the common name friendship plant.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Increase from softwood cuttings.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Pinch out growing tips for bushier growth.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Usually free of pests and diseases.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

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Close view of Friendship Plant (Pilea involucrata) foliage.
Close upSalicyna, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Pilea involucrata (Sims) Urb., commonly known as the friendship plant, is a species of flowering plant in the nettle family Urticaceae, native to Central and South America. It is a popular houseplant due to its unique foliage and relatively easy care. This species is best known for its popular cultivar, Pilea involucrata 'Moon Valley'.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
C. America to Peru and Windward Is.
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Central America to Peru and the Windward Islands
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Central and South America
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
wet tropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
Perennial; habit creeping, dense
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Trailing (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 3–12 in; width 3–12 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Height 0.1-0.5 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 2–5 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers green, pink; blooms in summer
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Other Pilea

More of the Urticaceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

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.