Pilea angulata ssp. petiolaris PB 16-1074

Friendship Plant Urticaceae

A Pilea that clearly missed the memo about being tender. This handsome, non-stinging member of the Urticaceae forms a glossy, spreading understory of upright leafy stems, with strongly veined, coarsely toothed leaves and small white flowers tucked into the leaf axils in early autumn. As the season closes, it produces stolons which creep away to form generous colonies. PB 16-1074 is a Patrick Blanc collection, gathered in the forests of the Far East; its precise collection locality is not published in the available nursery record. The subspecies naturally ranges from south-central and southeastern China through southern-central and southern Japan, the Nansei-shoto and Taiwan. 

Growing conditions: Moist, humus-rich soil in shade or partial shade; surprisingly hardy, with the Edulis stock surviving frozen solid in pots during the winter of 2022–23. 

Flowering: September–October
Hardiness: H5, approximately -15 to -10°C
Height: 50–60cm
Spread: 60–100cm