Polka dot plant
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Middling It gives warning, with time to act.
Also called Baby’s Tears, flamingo plant, freckle face, measles plant, pink dot, Pink Splash and polkadot-plant.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Full sun, 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.
H1B — 10–15°C 10–15 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Loam; pH Acid or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Listed as non-toxicASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Listed as non-toxicASPCA · 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
- Edges of the leaves brown while the middle stays sound
The polka dot 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 the soil is dry too. Crisp edges with damp soil point at the air; with dry soil, at the watering.
Penn State ExtensionDiagnose brown tips and edges on this Polka dot plant- The whole crown sags between waterings
The polka dot plant loses its stiffness first at the tips of the newest growth, and the whole pot feels light for its size.
Soil described as well-drained still has to hold some water. Once it is dry right through, the roots have nothing to take up and the leaves lose the pressure that holds them firm.
Telling it apart: The weight of the pot. Light and sagging is thirst; heavy and sagging is not.
RHSDiagnose drooping on this Polka dot plant- Washed-out patches that do not spread to the shaded side
Upper surfaces lose colour while the undersides stay green, and nothing below the top of the crown is touched.
Its source names full sun, partial shade, yet a leaf grown in lower light has thinner tissue than one grown in sun, and it scorches if moved into strong light in one step.
Telling it apart: Whether it followed a move or a season. Scorch appears within days of a change in position.
RHSDiagnose spots on the leaves on this Polka dot plant
Not sure which it is? Ask the diagnosis questions for Polka dot plant.
Routine care
- Watering
- Stand the cutting in water and keep it somewhere bright.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026During growth water generously; in winter water sparingly.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- In summer, feed every 2-3 weeks with a balanced liquid fertiliser.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- Stem cuttings root easily.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Sow seed; in late spring take softwood cuttings, or in summer semi-ripe cuttings.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning is not needed. For a bushy habit, pinch out growing tips.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by aphids, whiteflies and mealybugs.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Usually free of pests. Diseases: powdery mildews can occur.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Hypoestes phyllostachya, the polka dot plant, is a species of flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae, native to South Africa, Madagascar, and south east Asia. The spots often merge into larger areas of colour.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- MadagascarWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026MadagascarNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026S Africa, Madagascar, SE AsiaRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- wet tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- subshrubWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Annual, Ground Cover; habit dense, mounding, rounded, spreadingNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Bushy (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 12–24 in; width 9–12 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 purple/lavender; blooms in fall, spring, summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers purple in summerRHS · 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.
Container plant or houseplantNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
More of the Acanthaceae family
Nerve plantDry, curled edges on leaves near a heater
- No photograph yetBlack-eyed Susan VineSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
CrossandraSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Persian ShieldSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
- No photograph yetPurple Waffle PlantSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Ruellia makoyanaSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Plants with similar care
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.