Pilea nummulariifoliaCreeping Charlie

Pilea nummulariifolia runs rather than grows. Known as Creeping Charlie, it throws out thin trailing stems that root wherever they touch, carrying small round bright green leaves with a quilted, puckered surface that catches light in a way flat foliage does not.

It is a Caribbean forest floor plant, so it wants shade and steady moisture, and it is used as a fine-textured carpet under taller planting, in green wall pockets, and spilling out of interior planters.

Specifications

• Height0.05 to 0.15 metres
• Width0.3 to 0.6 metres per plant, spreading to form a continuous mat
• Native toThe Caribbean and tropical South America
• FoliageSmall, round, quilted bright green leaves on thin trailing stems; evergreen
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilPrefers humus-rich, free-draining soils that hold moisture
• LightPartial shade to bright indirect light; scorches in direct sun
• WaterModerate; keep evenly moist and do not let the mat dry out
• ClimateThrives in humid tropical and subtropical regions, and in conditioned interiors

Additional Features

• FormDense low trailing mat that roots at the nodes as it spreads
• UsesIdeal for shaded ground cover beneath taller planting, green wall pockets, hanging baskets and interior planters
• SpacingPlant 0.2 to 0.3 metres apart for cover within a single season
• Low MaintenanceTrim back where it runs beyond its bed; refresh thin patches by pinning down rooted stems
• Pest ResistanceGenerally trouble-free in suitable conditions
• VersatilityServes as an exterior shade carpet, a basket trailer and an interior planter filler

Creeping Charlie closes a shaded floor quickly with a texture nothing coarser can match.