Dragon tail plant vs String of turtles

Epipremnum pinnatum · Peperomia prostrata

Pet safety: String of turtles is listed non-toxic to cats and dogs; Dragon tail plant is toxic (insoluble calcium oxalates).

Why these two get mixed up

String of turtles is recorded here as a pet-safe alternative to Dragon tail plant, so the question is usually whether the swap is actually a fair one.

Dragon tail plant (Epipremnum pinnatum) — **Dragon tail plant** — Epipremnum pinnatum. Photograph by Mokkie, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 3.0.

String of turtles (Peperomia prostrata) — **String of turtles** — Peperomia prostrata. Photograph by Jerzy Opioła, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 4.0.

	Dragon tail plant	String of turtles
Scientific name	Epipremnum pinnatum	Peperomia prostrata
Family	Araceae	Piperaceae
Light floor	Low	Medium
Water	7–12 days	9–16 days
Humidity floor	45%	45%
Mature height	24–144 in	4–24 in
Habit	climbing	trailing
Growth rate	fast	slow
Difficulty	Easy	Moderate
Toxic to pets	Yes	No
Typical price	$15–50	$12–40

Highlighted cells are where the two actually differ. Everything else they share.

The differences that matter

Pet safety

This is the difference that matters most. String of turtles is listed non-toxic to cats and dogs; Dragon tail plant is toxic (insoluble calcium oxalates). If the two are sold under the same name, a mislabelled plant is a genuine risk in a house with animals.

Mature size

Dragon tail plant reaches about 144 inches; String of turtles tops out near 24. Buying the wrong one for a shelf means rehoming it in a year.

Light

Dragon tail plant tolerates low light; String of turtles needs medium as a floor. Put the second in the first's spot and it stretches and declines.

Difficulty

Dragon tail plant scores 1 of 5, String of turtles scores 3. it looks like a succulent and is not one — it is a thin-rooted tropical that rots if treated like a string of pearls, and crisps if treated like a fern. The middle is narrow.

Habit

Dragon tail plant grows climbing; String of turtles grows trailing. That decides where each one physically works.

Not even related

Dragon tail plant is Araceae, String of turtles is Piperaceae. They share a shop label and nothing else — different families, different continents, different care.

Which should you buy?

With a cat or dog in the house, take String of turtles. The other is toxic, and if the shop label is wrong you will not know which you have brought home.
In a dim room, take Dragon tail plant.
If you forget to water, take String of turtles, which goes 12 days between drinks.
If it is your first plant, take Dragon tail plant, at 1 of 5.
For a small shelf, take String of turtles, which stops around 24 inches.

Full entries

Dragon tail plant — care fields with sources, toxicity with every authority consulted, propagation and diagnosis. String of turtles — the same.

Sources

This database's own care records for Epipremnum pinnatum and Peperomia prostrata — every figure compared above.
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — accepted names and families for Epipremnum pinnatum and Peperomia prostrata
ASPCA Animal Poison Control — toxicity classification for both, cited on each species entry
Photographs: Wikimedia Commons, individually credited and licensed above

Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-12
Every comparison above is drawn from a recorded field. Where the honest distinguisher is visual we show both photographs rather than describing a leaf we have no field for. How this is sourced.