Pilea species, cultivars and hybrids

Pilea is a genus of the Urticaceae (nettle) family with over 600 accepted species. They are found in North and South America, Africa and Asia

Listed bellow are the varieties that are being cultivated around the world. If there’s a plant that’s missing here, or you would like to send a photo for the variety that still doesn’t have one, or some information isn’t correct, please contact me via e-mail at houseplants.xyz@gmail.com or via instagram @houseplants.xyz I’ll try to keep this page updated. All the changes will be noted in changelog at the bottom of the page.

Pilea cadierei
Pilea depressa
Pilea grandifolia
Pilea inaequalis
Pilea insolens
Pilea libanensis
Pilea microphylla
Pilea nummulariifolia
Pilea peperomioides
Pilea semidentata
Pilea spruceana
Pilea nummulariifolia 'Bathroom Bubbles'
Pilea 'Burgundy'
Pilea cadierei ‘Minima’
Pilea cadierei 'Variegata'
Pilea 'Chartreuse'
Pilea spruceana 'Dark Mystery'
Pilea depressa 'Sao Paulo'
Pilea grandifolia 'Coral'
Pilea microphylla 'Variegata'
Pilea 'Moon Valley'
Pilea peperomioides 'Mojito'
Pilea serpyllacea 'Globosa'
Pilea 'Silver Tree'

Pilea cadierei

Common Names: Aluminium plant

Named by: François Gagnepain and André Guillaumin (1939)

Native Area: South-Central China, Vietnam

*: ‘cadierei’ named after RP Cadiere, plant collector

Cultivars and Hybrids: Pilea cadierei 'Minima', Pilea cadierei 'Variegata'

Pilea depressa

Named by: Carl Ludwig von Blume (1856)

Native Area: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti

*: ‘depressa’ means sunken, depressed

Cultivars and Hybrids: Pilea depressa 'Sao Paulo'

Pilea grandifolia

Named by: Carl Ludwig von Blume (1856)

Native Area: Jamaica

*: ‘grandifolia’ means large leaved

Cultivars and Hybrids: Pilea grandifolia Coral

Pilea inaequalis

Synonyms: Pilea repens

Named by: Hugh Algernon Weddell (1852)

Native Area: Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Puerto Rico, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, Windward Is.

*: ‘inaequalis’ means unequal

Pilea inaequalis
Photo by @wurzelnschlagen

Pilea insolens

Named by: Hugh Algernon Weddell (1869)

Native Area: Assam, East Himalaya, Nepal, Tibet

Pilea libanensis

Trade Names: Pilea glauca, Pilea glauca ‘Aquamarine’

Named by: Ignatz Urban (1930)

Native Area: Cuba

Pilea libanensis
Photo by Houseplants.xyz / Negabiljaka.com

Pilea microphylla

Common Names: Artillery fern, Artillery plant

Named by: Frederik Michael Liebmann (1851)

Native Area: Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Cayman Is., Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Florida, French Guiana, Georgia, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Louisiana, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles, Panamá, Peru, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Southwest Caribbean, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is.

*: ‘microphylla’ means small leaf

Cultivars and Hybrids: Pilea microphylla 'Variegata'

Pilea nummulariifolia

Named by: Hugh Algernon Weddell (1852)

Native Area: Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Panamá, Peru, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Windward Is.

*: ‘nummulariifolia’ means having foliage like nummularia (small, circular leaves)

Cultivars and Hybrids: Pilea nummulariifolia 'Bathroom Bubbles'