Chinese money plant

Walk around any supermarket or flea market in Singapore and Malaysia, and chances are that you will come across Chinese money plants being sold.

The Chinese money plant is also known as "pilea peperomioides", "jade tree" and "Chinese missionary plant". It is native to western China and is a green-leaved house plant.

My experience with the Chinese money plant is that it is fairly undemanding and fast growing.

This plant was brought to Europe from China by a Swedish missionary in 1946.

As you can see from the photograph above, the features of the Chinese money plant are as follows:-

(a) brown, cylindrical, rough, brittle, woody stems up to 30cm long;

(b) leathery, green and disk-shaped leaves;

(c) the young leaves are glossy, dulling with age;

(d) the leaf stalk grows from centre of leaf disk.

Traditionally, the Chinese money plant is grown in any fertile, moist and well drained soil. However, it is increasingly popular to grow the Chinese money plant in a vase with either marbles or jelly containing fertilisers.

The vase of the Chinese money plant that you see in the photograph below contains round jelly in multi-colours, designed to look like marbles. These jelly contain fertilisers.

The Chinese money plant thrives well where there is light. A light shade will encourage larger leaves. However, the leaves may scorch in bright direct sunlight.

The plant that you see in the photograph below was propagated from stem cuttings from a money plant that I bought from NTUC supermarket a few years ago. As the plant is displayed on the side cabinet next to my window and there is an air-conditioning vent nearby, the plant gets the benefit of sunlight and air-conditioning.

Some tips to growing Chinese money plant are as follows:-

(a) Trim back leggy old growth and repot if need be.

(b) Remove old and yellowed leaves as necessary.

(c) Give your plant frequent watering in warm weather.

(d) Feed your plant regularly. I use liquid fertiliser.

I once bought a small pot of Chinese money plant from NTUC supermarket for S$2. I still have several offspring of the original plant.

This plant propagates easily with leafs planted with the bottom end in soil. To propagate the Chinese money plant, what you have to do is to cut, remove and pot up basal shoots / stem cuttings.

The Chinese money plant does not tolerate over-watering. I have been told that although it rarely flowers indoors, if given the right conditions, like the cacti, it can produce tiny star-like flowers which are white/pink in colour. I have several pots of the plant at home as well as in the office. May my plants be blessed with flowers!

As a houseplant, the Chinese money plant resembles miniature trees and require good light to grow although one should not expose a young plant to full sunlight. Once the plant is fully grown, direct exposure to sunlight should not hurt.

It is important to allow the soil to dry completely in between waterings. I used to spray mist the plant because I like to see shiny and glossy flowers. However, I have since learned that it is not advisable to do this.

The plant that you see in the photograph below is displayed in a ledge at the planter box in our master bathroom. There is a small window at the side of the bathroom (near the plant) where sunlight and air can flow through.

Under-watered plants will have "crinkled" leaves and over-watered ones will start to turn soft and yellow and start to drop. If the leaves are crinkled and drooping, you may need to water it more.

The plant is not very fussy about what type of fertiliser you use. I generally use whatever liquid fertiliser I have available at home. As I have many types of plants at home (eg. orchids, bougainvillea, sweet basil, etc) and I also have plants in the office (eg. African violets and Chinese money plant), I have at some point or other bought different types of liquid fertilisers (eg. for orchids, for African violets, etc). The Chinese money plant seems to accept any of these types of liquid fertilisers although some people have advised that it would be preferable to use a fertiliser specially formulated for cacti.

The Chinese money plant is the ultimate symbol of prosperity for the Chinese. Its flat round leaves and compact shape makes it the Asian equivalent of a money tree.

There is a belief that if you bury nine coins in the soil of the plant and place in the wealth corner of your office or home, symbolically as the plant grows, so to will abundance increase in your life.

Sources


(1) wildchicken.com

(2) answers.yahoo.com

(3) amazon.co.uk