Trailing watermelon begonia
Pellionia repens
Also called Pellionia, Elatostema repens and Watermelon begonia (shared name)
Houseplant · Patterned foliageNot a begonia at all — it is a nettle relative, and it creeps rather than climbing. It wants the damp shade of a terrarium or a bathroom; in ordinary room air the edges go crisp within a fortnight.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Medium
- Water
- Every 4 daysKeep it moist — water at the first hint of dryness — don't wait for a dry pot.
- Light
- Medium indirect
- Feed
- Every 30 days
- Humidity
- High
- Hardiness
- Tropical — indoors, warm RHS H1A, to 15°C
- Size
- 0.15 m tall · 0.5 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- Vietnam and southern China
Is it safe for pets and people?
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
ASPCA lists this plant as Pellionia daveauana, an older name for it, under the common name "Begonia, Trailing". It is not a begonia — it is in the nettle family — and nothing on a true Begonia page applies to it. Non-toxic.
Checked against ASPCA on 2026-09-22.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- The thin edges of the leaves go brown and papery within a fortnight of leaving a nursery, while the pale central band stays good. It wants a terrarium or a bathroom, not a shelf.Crisping edges in room air · disorder
- Long pink stems running across the compost with leaves only at the far ends. Pin a few back down onto the surface — they root where they touch and fill the pot again.Bare creeping stems · disorder