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Creeping Charlie

Pilea nummulariifolia, Urticaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

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

Also called Creeping Pilea and Swedish Ivy (Plectranthus).

Creeping Charlie (Pilea nummulariifolia), the whole plant.
Dmytro 'Daks' Fomenko, 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, Deep shade, 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 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

Watering
Indoors, water once the soil is dry 1 inch down, and feed every month from spring through fall.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
Grown indoors, water once the top 1 inch of soil is dry, and feed every month from spring until fall.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
By division or stem cuttings.
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 Creeping Charlie (Pilea nummulariifolia) foliage.
Close upKrzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Pilea nummulariifolia is a perennial evergreen herbaceous plant commonly known as creeping charlie native to the Caribbean and northern South America. It can be grown indoors, for example in a hanging pot.

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

Native range
C. America to N. Venezuela and Peru, Caribbean
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Central America to North Venezuela and Peru, and Caribean
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
subshrub
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Perennial; habit creeping
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 4–6 in; width up to 12 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers pink, white; blooms in spring, summer
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Uses

What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.

The leaves can be eaten and made into tea. Edible leaves.
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.