Pilea peperomioides, often referred to as the pancake plant, Chinese money plant, coin plant, or UFO plant, is a popular houseplant thanks to its attractive coin-shaped foliage and ease of care. This flowering perennial in the nettle family (Urticaceae) is native to southern China, growing naturally along the base of the Himalayan mountains.

Although this popular houseplant may be difficult to get your hands on, once you have one it is surprisingly easy to care for. Provide your pilea peperomioides with bright light, semi-regular watering, and some light feeding in the spring and summer months and it will thrive. Plus, Chinese money plants are easy to propagate, and a healthy plant will produce plenty of offshoots which you can separate to create more plants—one of the reasons it is called the friendship plant. Share them with friends, or keep them for yourself. Once you have a pancake plant, you will never need to buy another one!

The Pilea peperomioides thrives in medium to bright indirect light. Rotate your plant regularly to keep it looking symmetrical. Avoid locations that receive harsh, direct light as it will burn the delicate leaves.

While this plant can adapt to lower light conditions; it will become leggy, grow fewer offshoots, and the coin-shaped leaves may become smaller. Overall, this plant is the healthiest and most attractive when grown in bright light conditions. 

This evergreen perennial is considered to have medium water needs. Allow the plant to nearly dry out between waterings and then water well. The leaves of Pilea peperomioides will begin to droop when it dries out, which is a good indication that it’s time for watering.

The average household temperature and humidity are fine for the Pilea peperomioides. Where possible, avoid overly dry conditions, which usually means keeping the plant away from heating vents or baseboards.