English ivy vs Chinese money plant

Hedera helix · Pilea peperomioides

Pet safety: Chinese money plant is listed non-toxic to cats and dogs; English ivy is toxic (triterpenoid saponins). If the two are sold under the same name, a mislabelled plant is a genuine risk in a house with animals.

Why these two get mixed up

Chinese money plant is recorded here as a pet-safe alternative to English ivy, so the question is usually whether the swap is actually a fair one.

English ivy (Hedera helix) — **English ivy** — Hedera helix. Photograph by kallerna, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 4.0.

Chinese money plant (Pilea peperomioides) — **Chinese money plant** — Pilea peperomioides. Photograph by Husky, Wikimedia Commons , CC0.

	English ivy	Chinese money plant
Scientific name	Hedera helix	Pilea peperomioides
Family	Araliaceae	Urticaceae
Light floor	Low	Medium
Water	6–11 days	6–11 days
Humidity floor	40%	40%
Mature height	6–96 in	8–18 in
Habit	trailing	upright
Growth rate	fast	fast
Difficulty	Moderate	Easy
Toxic to pets	Yes	No
Typical price	$8–25	$12–35

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. Chinese money plant is listed non-toxic to cats and dogs; English ivy is toxic (triterpenoid saponins). If the two are sold under the same name, a mislabelled plant is a genuine risk in a house with animals.

Mature size

English ivy reaches about 96 inches; Chinese money plant tops out near 18. Buying the wrong one for a shelf means rehoming it in a year.

Light

English ivy tolerates low light; Chinese money plant needs medium as a floor. Put the second in the first's spot and it stretches and declines.

Habit

English ivy grows trailing; Chinese money plant grows upright. That decides where each one physically works.

Not even related

English ivy is Araliaceae, Chinese money plant is Urticaceae. 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 Chinese money plant. 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 English ivy.
If you forget to water, take either.
If it is your first plant, take Chinese money plant, at 2 of 5.
For a small shelf, take Chinese money plant, which stops around 18 inches.

Full entries

English ivy — care fields with sources, toxicity with every authority consulted, propagation and diagnosis. Chinese money plant — the same.

Sources

This database's own care records for Hedera helix and Pilea peperomioides — every figure compared above.
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — accepted names and families for Hedera helix and Pilea peperomioides
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.