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Pilea pumila
Also called Canada clearweed, Clearweed, Coolweed, Dwarf Clearweed, Green Fruited Clearweed
Canadian clearweed is a small, translucent-stemmed annual in the nettle family, native to eastern North America and parts of Asia, and often found as a weed in gardens. It grows best in rich, moist, lightly shaded spots and tolerates disturbance.
Pilea pumila, commonly known as clearweed, Canadian clearweed, coolwort or richweed, is an herbaceous plant in the nettle family (Urticaceae). It is native to Asia and eastern North America, where it is broadly distributed.
This plant is most often found in rich loamy soil, usually in moist to wet areas. Its natural habitat is in forests or other lightly shaded conditions. It is a common plant throughout its range, and forms large colonies where it is found. It grows in both high-quality habitats and in ecologically degraded areas. Due to its high tolerance for disturbance, it is often seen near buildings and as a garden weed.
The plant is host to various caterpillars, including the leaf-mining larvae of Cosmopterix pulchrimella, as well as the aphid Pseudasiphonaphis corni and leafhopper Empoasca recurvata.
Canadian clearweed is edible, but unpalatable. The plant can be used in classroom demonstrations of transpiration using food coloring due to its translucent stem. It was reportedly used medicinally by certain Native Americans for sinus issues, itch relief and to reduce hunger, and it is sometimes used as a diuretic in Asia.
Aluminium Plant · Pilea cataractae · Pilea cavernicola · Pilea crassifolia · Pilea daguensis · Depressed clearweed · Pilea elegans · Constanza Clearweed · Lesser clearweed · Pilea glaucophylla · Pilea grandifolia · Friendship plant
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Pilea pumila by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
