Houseplant · Apocynaceae
Dischidia
Dischidia nummularia
Give it bright light, fast-draining roots, and a long dry-out, and dischidia spills its coin-leaved strands for years.
Bright indirect
Every 7–14 days
64–84°F · 18–29°C
USDA 10–12
Overview
Dischidia is a trailing epiphyte of the wet tropics, a plant that grips tree bark and rock rather than rooting in soil. What catches the eye is the long strands of small, fleshy leaves, each one plump and rounded, that spill over a pot rim or a slab of mounted bark. It sits in the milkweed family, and like its relatives a thin milky sap runs inside the slim stems and beads up wherever one is snapped.
Its leaves tell the story of how it drinks. Up in the canopy those thick, water-holding pads dry within hours of rain, so indoors it wants a coarse, airy mix and a real dry-out between waterings. Given that, it grows fast, paying out long, wiry stems studded at intervals with paired green coins that dangle and sway from a hanging pot or a mount.
It asks a little more than a beginner plant, mostly around water and air. Warmth and high humidity keep the small leaves firm and glossy, while soggy roots are the one thing it won't forgive. Read the watering right and the fleshy strands fill in on their own.
Care
The short version: give it bright, indirect light, a coarse, fast-draining epiphyte mix, and a complete dry-out before the fleshy leaves and pale roots get watered again. Keep it warm with humidity high, feed lightly across the growing season, and never leave the roots sitting wet.
Light
Under bright, indirect light the leaves stay close-set and plump along the stems, though medium indirect light keeps it going too. Harsh direct sun scorches and browns the soft pads, while a dim corner stretches the stems thin and leaves wide gaps of bare wire between the leaves.
Water
Let the mix dry out completely before watering again, usually every 7 to 14 days, since the thick leaves store their own reserve of moisture. This is an epiphyte built for fast-draining roots, so it weathers a dry stretch far better than a wet one. Overwatering is the quickest way to lose it, since the fine roots rot fast in soggy mix.
Soil
Set it in a coarse, airy epiphyte or orchid mix of bark and perlite that water slips straight through, the open footing its bare roots cling to in the wild. Many growers skip the pot entirely and press it onto a slab of bark, where the roots grip the surface just as they would a tree.
Temperature
Hold it between 64°F to 84°F (18°C to 29°C), plain indoor warmth. It has no tolerance for cold, and a chilly window or a draft will mar the tender leaves, so keep it clear of both.
Humidity
This is a high-humidity plant, happiest at 60% to 80%, where the little leaves stay firm and full. A bathroom, a kitchen, or a spot near a humidifier suits it, while dry indoor air shrivels and dulls the once-plump pads.
Feeding
Feed monthly from spring through summer with a dilute balanced liquid fertilizer while the stems are pushing fresh green leaves. Through the cooler, slower months, when no new pads appear, ease off and let it rest.
Pruning
Trim the leggy or overlong stems, the ones that have gone to bare wire with leaves spaced far apart, to push fuller, bushier growth. Cut away any stem that has turned soft, brown, or rotted as soon as you spot it.
Repotting
Repot every 2 to 3 years, or sooner once the pale roots crowd and escape the container, growth slows, or the old mix crumbles and stays wet. Move it into fresh coarse mix and a pot only a little larger.
Size & spacing
The wiry stems trail from 2 to 36 inches (5 to 91 cm), each strung with paired coin-leaves, and the whole plant spreads about 2 to 3 feet (61 to 91 cm). Hang it or set it high so the leaf-dotted strands hang free and cascade.
Troubleshooting
Almost every dischidia problem traces back to water and air, and the plant writes the warning on its own tissue. The roots, leaves, and stems show the earliest marks, so a close look lets you step in before it spreads. Match what you see below, then act while it still helps.
Mushy brown base and limp, collapsing stems
When the base darkens to a soft, brown mush and the stems flop limp, the plant has root rot, almost always from too much water or a mix that stays wet. As an epiphyte whose fine roots must dry between drinks, it suffocates fast once they sit soaked and slimy. Slide it out, cut back to firm, pale tissue by removing every brown, soft root and stem, repot into fresh airy mix, and water only after it dries.
Fix:
- Remove the plant and cut away all rotted roots and stems
- Repot into fresh coarse, fast-draining epiphyte mix
- Water only after the medium dries out
Spots appearing on the leaves
Dark, discrete blotches scattered across the round leaves point to leaf spot, which takes hold where the air stays too damp or water beads and lingers on the foliage. Water at the base to keep the pads dry, move more air around the plant, and pick off the worst-marked leaves so the spotting does not creep along the strand.
Fix:
- Water at the base and avoid wetting foliage
- Improve air circulation around the plant
- Remove badly affected leaves
Lengthening stems with bare stretches between the leaves
Stems that run long and bare, with the coin-leaves spaced far apart down a length of thin wire, are the plant reaching for more light. Move it somewhere brighter under strong indirect light, while keeping it clear of harsh direct sun that scorches the leaves. A trim of the lankiest, most naked stems then brings denser, fuller regrowth packed with leaves.
Fix:
- Move to a brighter spot with bright, indirect light
- Avoid harsh direct sun that scorches leaves
- Trim leggy stems to promote denser regrowth
Toxicity
For a home with pets or children, dischidia carries no real poisoning risk. The milky sap that beads from a broken stem tastes unpleasant, so a curious nibble may bring a little drooling or a mild upset stomach and nothing worse. You can keep it within reach of cats, dogs, and small children without worry.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Dischidia isn't known to poison cats, so a curious nibble at the dangling leaves shouldn't cause harm. A cat that chews a lot of any houseplant might get a mildly upset stomach, but that passes on its own.
Dogs None
Dogs can share a room with this plant without worry, since there's no toxic compound here. A dog that swallows a mouthful of the tough, fleshy stems may drool or bring them back up, simply because the leaves are leathery.
Horses None
Nothing in dischidia is poisonous to horses, and as a small trailing houseplant it's unlikely to ever cross a horse's path anyway.
Rabbits None
Rabbits face no poisoning risk from this plant. Keep its trailing strands out of reach more to spare the foliage than to protect the rabbit.
Livestock None
Sheep, goats, and cattle take no harm from dischidia, and this small indoor trailer of coin-leaved strands never comes within reach of a grazing animal anyway.
Birds None
Perching birds can nibble the coin-like leaves or settle among the strands without risk, since no part of the plant is toxic.
People None
The plant poses no poisoning danger to people, children included. It's grown for the look of its coin-leaved strands rather than eating, so there's no reason to taste it.
Wear gloves when handling, as the milky sap may irritate skin and eyes.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
United Kingdom
Animal PoisonLine: 01202 509000 (fee applies)
Australia
Animal Poisons Helpline: 1300 869 738
Varieties
Several dischidia turn up in the houseplant trade, each marked by a different leaf shape and the way its stems trail. These are the ones worth knowing by name.
Dischidia nummularia
Called string of nickels for the way its trailing stems are strung with rounded, coin-like paired leaves, this species ranges naturally from southern China through tropical Asia to northern Queensland.
Dischidia ruscifolia
Known as million hearts, it carries dense trailing stems closely lined with small heart-shaped leaves.
Dischidia ovata
The watermelon dischidia bears oval green leaves striped with silver, and those stripes warm to a pinkish-red tinge under bright light.
How to propagate
Dischidia is simple to multiply, and one healthy plant yields all the cuttings you need to fill more pots or share with friends.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Spring or summer during active growth · A few weeks to root
Stem cuttings are far and away the easiest way to make more dischidia. Snip a length of the leafed stem in spring or summer while it is growing, lay it on a coarse, moist mix, and the cut nodes push pale roots within a few weeks. From there the cutting fills out into a trailing plant strung with the same paired coin-leaves as the one it came from.
Myths
Dischidia bore into their host trees as parasites and injure them.
The roots tell a different story: these plants are epiphytes, and sometimes lithophytes, so they cling to tree bark or rock only for a grip. Those roots take nothing from the surface they hold, since the plant draws its water and food from the air and rain instead. A dischidia never feeds off its host, so it leaves the tree unharmed.