Species · genus Pilea · Urticaceae

Aluminium Plant

Pilea cadierei Gagnep. & Guillaumin

Also known as: Watermelon Pilea

Growth habit

subshrub

Native range

China South-Central, Vietnam

Reference · P. cadierei

Cultivars of P. cadierei

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under P. cadierei yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Pilea cadierei is a small subshrub from the humid subtropical forests of south-central China and Vietnam, where it grows as understory cover in dappled light. Give it bright indirect light and let the top inch of mix dry before watering, as its soft stems and roots rot if kept soggy. It tolerates ordinary indoor humidity but appreciates a slightly more humid spot and steady warmth.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 10 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

16–26 °C

Soil mix

Light, well-draining peat-based mix with perlite

Propagation

Stem tip cuttings rooted in moist mix

Fertilizing

Balanced liquid feed monthly in spring and summer

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Insignificant tiny flowers; grown for its silver-patterned foliage

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Non-toxic to cats & dogs

Aluminum/watermelon pilea — ASPCA non-toxic. (Other Pilea, incl. P. peperomioides, are NOT ASPCA-listed — left unknown.) This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

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Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ASPCA

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Aluminium Plant yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.