Money Plant Indoor Care: 4 Plants Called Money Plant

Start by working out which money plant you have, because the name covers four different houseplants with different needs: pothos, a vine; the Chinese money plant, with round leaves; jade, a succulent; and the Pachira money tree. Wikipedia's list of plants called money plant or money tree includes all four, plus Lunaria and a pennywort that are garden and pond plants rather than houseplants.

In short:

• Pothos. Bright indirect light, though it survives long periods in low light; let the potting mix dry out between waterings (NC State Extension). Full guide: pothos plant care.
• Chinese money plant. Wikipedia says it grows wild on shady, damp rocks in forests at 1,500 to 3,000 metres in Yunnan and Sichuan and prefers constant temperatures and high humidity. That points to a bright spot out of hot sun and steady conditions.
• Jade. A sun-loving succulent that needs far less water than the others; see our jade plant care guide.
• Money tree (Pachira). Adams Farms gives bright to medium indirect light for at least six hours a day, water when the top inch of soil is dry, 65 to 75 F, and high humidity. Full guide: money tree care.

• A vine that trails or climbs, with leaves often streaked yellow or white: pothos. Wikipedia notes that indoor, juvenile leaves stay under about 20 cm, while mature climbing plants in the wild can have leaves up to 100 cm long.
• Round, flat, coin-like leaves on long stalks attached near the middle of the leaf: Chinese money plant (Wikipedia). It also makes new plantlets on its stem and from underground shoots.
• Thick, fleshy leaves on woody stems: jade (Wikipedia).
• A real trunk, often several stems braided together, with leaves at the top: money tree. Adams Farms says nurseries braid young trees, usually with 3, 5 or 7 stems.

Still unsure? Scan it with PlantLens or see our houseplant identification page.

In most shops, money tree means Pachira aquatica, a tropical wetland tree native to Central and South America that Wikipedia says is sold under both names. Money plant usually means something else: pothos in the Indian subcontinent, the Chinese money plant (Pilea), or jade. The ASPCA's own entry lists Pachira as "Money Tree (also called Money Plant)", which shows how loosely the names are used. The difference that matters at home is care and pets: Pachira is a tree that the ASPCA lists as non-toxic, while pothos and jade are both on its toxic list.

Yes, all four are sold as houseplants, but they suit different rooms:

• Dim room or office: pothos. NC State says it survives long periods in low light, though it loses variegation there.
• Bright window, little watering: jade.
• Bright indirect light, home with pets: money tree, the only one of the four the ASPCA lists as non-toxic.
• Bright, steady spot on a shelf or table: Chinese money plant, a small plant; Wikipedia gives about 30 cm tall and wide in the wild.

The drawback shared by pothos and jade is toxicity to pets, covered below.

Overwatering is the main killer of both the pothos and the Pachira kinds.

• Pothos: black leaf edges and rotting roots. NC State ties root rot and leaf-margin blackening to overwatering. Let the mix dry between waterings.
• Pothos: leaves losing their yellow or white streaks. Too little light (NC State).
• Pothos and money tree: white cottony spots or brown bumps on stems. Mealybugs and scale, which NC State lists for pothos and Adams Farms for money tree; Adams Farms suggests a mild insecticide or neem oil.
• Money tree: rot at the base. Adams Farms says drainage is critical to prevent root rot; use a pot with a hole and empty the saucer.
• Money tree: dry, unhappy-looking leaves. Home air is often too dry for it. Adams Farms recommends a pebble tray of water, regular misting or a humidifier to raise humidity.

For yellowing on any of them, our yellow leaves guide goes through the causes by pattern.

The pothos kind can. NC State recommends stem cuttings for propagation and notes that the vines root easily in water, which is why pothos is so often grown in jars and bottles. Our pothos care guide explains that a cutting needs at least one node to root. Jade and Pachira are grown in soil.

• Pothos: toxic. NC State rates it medium severity, with calcium oxalate crystals in all parts; signs include mouth pain and swelling, drooling, vomiting and difficulty swallowing. See our pothos pet page.
• Jade: toxic. The ASPCA lists it (as Crassula argentea) as toxic to dogs, cats and horses, with vomiting, depression and incoordination.
• Money tree (Pachira): non-toxic. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses, while noting that eating it can still cause mild nausea, vomiting or loose stool.
• Chinese money plant: the sources we opened do not state its toxicity. Do not assume it is safe; check with your vet.

If you think your pet has eaten part of a plant, call your veterinarian or a pet poison hotline now: ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435 or Pet Poison Helpline (855) 764-7661. Both may charge a consultation fee; Pet Poison Helpline lists $89 per incident.

Research and drafting for this page were done with the help of AI, and every figure was then checked line by line against the sources listed at the end. Where sources disagree, we say so rather than pick one silently. If you find a mistake, tell us and we will correct it.

It depends on which money plant you have:

• Chinese money plant (Pilea): Patch Plants recommends bright light out of direct rays, on a shelf or side table rather than a sunny windowsill, somewhere warm, ideally above 10 C, within a range of 13 to 30 C. Turn the pot every few days so it grows evenly instead of leaning.
• Money tree (Pachira): The Juicy Leaf gives bright, indirect light, a steady 65 to 75 F, and a spot away from drafts, doors and vents.
• Pothos: the most tolerant of dim corners; see the care notes above.
• Jade: the sunniest window you have.

The sources we checked give care-based placement only; they do not cover feng shui or vastu positions.

None of the care sources we checked gives a lifespan for any of the four plants called money plant, so we will not quote one. What they do show is that the common ones are easy to renew. The Chinese money plant makes baby plants from its roots and stem that Patch Plants says can be separated and potted on their own, and pothos cuttings root easily in water (NC State, cited above). Keeping a rooted cutting or pup is the practical way to make a favourite plant outlast its pot.

Water when the soil is dry or crumbly, which Patch Plants says works out to about once a week in summer and once every two weeks in winter. Feed every few months in spring and summer, and repot into well-draining potting soil. For the Pachira money tree, The Juicy Leaf's rule is to water when the top inch of soil is dry and to feed every two to four weeks at half strength in spring and summer.

Only in small amounts, and not as fertilizer or to make the soil acidic. The University of Minnesota Extension says coffee grounds contain carbon, nitrogen and compounds that feed soil organisms, that modest amounts can be beneficial, mainly in compost, and that they have not been shown to consistently lower soil pH. Our money tree care page covers this in more detail.

This section was added on 2026-09-25. Research and drafting were done with the help of AI, and every figure was checked line by line against the sources added to this page. If you find a mistake, tell us and we will correct it.