Description | Creeping Charlies (Pilea nummulariifolia) is a fast-growing tropical plant that will grow as a ground cover or cascade over the side of a container—grown as a house plant in colder regions. |
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Pronunciation | (PILL-ee-ah) (num-yoo-lay-ree-ih-FOH-lee-uh) |
Plant Type | Indoor Foliage, Perennial Tender, Site author's observations, Tropical herbaceous plants |
Hardiness Zone | 10-11, tropical |
Sunlight | bright to moderate |
Moisture | evenly moist, likes higher humidity |
Temperature | average house |
Flowers | small in tight axillary clusters, not ornamental |
Leaves | The leaves are simple, oval with scalloped edges, bright green on the adaxial surface, and dull on the abaxial surface. The sunken veins give them a puffy, crinkly look in between the veins. |
Stems | Stems spread and root where they touch the soil, green but can become reddish. Will cascade over the side of a container, |
Dimensions | Spreads and fills in any size container, only a few inches tall. |
Maintenance | It can get leggy, so it needs to be pruned to shape. |
Propagation | easy from cuttings, rooting at the nodes |
Native Site | West Indias to Peru |
Misc Facts | Listed as invasive by the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network (MISIN). |
Author's Notes | I have seen this growing as a ground cover in Hawaii, where it is considered rather weedy, |
Notes & Reference | #02-Exotic Plant Manual (Graf), #274-Site Authors' observations and growing experiences, #270-North Carolina Extention Gardener Tool Box (www.plants.ces.ncsu.edu/) |