Why Plants Die
Theme
Theme

Angeloweed

Pilea microphylla, Urticaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

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

Also called Artillery Plant and Rockweed.

Angeloweed (Pilea microphylla), the whole plant.
David J, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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. NC State Extension 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
Dappled Sunlight, Partial Shade
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Water
Good Drainage, Moist
NC State Extension · 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
Soil
Loam (Silt), Sand; pH Acid (<6.0), Alkaline (>8.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0)
NC State Extension · 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 record of poisoning in people is listed for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Propagation
Stem cuttings give the best results.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.

Close view of Angeloweed (Pilea microphylla) foliage.
Close upNativeplants garden, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Angeloweed (Pilea microphylla) growing in a pot.
In a potDavid J, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Pilea microphylla, also known as angeloweed, artillery plant, joypowder plant, lace plant, is an annual plant native to Florida, Mexico, the West Indies, and tropical Central and Southern America. In Guadeloupe and Martinique the local name is ti-teigne or teigne, and in Latin America it is brilhantina. In the southern part of México, specifically in the Yucatán peninsula, the local name is frescura. The plant belongs to the family Urticaceae. It has light green, almost succulent, stems and tiny leaves. It is grown as a ground cover in many areas.

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

Native range
Mexico to N. South America and Peru, SE. U.S.A. to Caribbean
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Mexico, South America, Southeastern U.S.A., the Caribbean
NC State Extension · 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
annual or biennial
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Herbaceous Perennial; habit creeping, dense, spreading
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 6–12 in; width 6–24 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers green
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.