Red Cloud Nerve Plant

Red Cloud Nerve Plant (Fittonia albivenis 'Red Cloud') is a small indoor foliage plant with olive green leaves netted in rose red veins. It stays low, reaching only about 15cm tall and spreading to 30cm, so it suits a desk, a shelf, a terrarium or the bare soil under a larger pot plant. It is also one of the few indoor plants that is not toxic to cats or dogs.

Why you'll love it

• Vein patterning you have to look twice at. Fine red veins run across every leaf, giving colour indoors without needing a flowering plant.
• Not toxic to cats or dogs. A genuinely pet friendly choice for households where a curious animal has ruined the last three houseplants.
• Small enough for anywhere. At 15cm by 30cm it fits a bathroom shelf, a bookshelf or a closed terrarium.
• Happy in humidity. Steamy bathrooms and kitchens, which defeat most indoor plants, are exactly where this one thrives.

Where it works best

Indoors. Bright indirect light near a window, out of any direct sun, is ideal. It copes with a shaded corner, though the red veining stays richer with more light.

Pots and containers. Use a shallow pot with drainage and a peat free indoor mix that holds moisture. Grouping three or more in one wide bowl gives a fuller look than a single plant.

Balconies and courtyards. In tropical and subtropical gardens it can live outdoors year round in deep shade, and it works as a living carpet under potted palms and ferns.

Growing Red Cloud Nerve Plant in Australia

Position and climate. Indoors anywhere in the country. Outdoors it is limited to tropical and subtropical gardens in full shade, because it is frost tender and will not survive a cold night. In warm temperate and cooler regions, keep it inside through winter.

Soil. A moisture retentive indoor potting mix with perlite through it. The roots are shallow and fine, so they need a mix that drains but never dries out completely.

Water and feed. Water when the surface of the mix feels dry, which in a warm room can mean twice a week. Group plants together or mist to lift humidity in dry air. Feed monthly through the warmer months with a half strength liquid indoor fertiliser.

Pruning. Pinch the growing tips regularly to keep the plant compact and stop it running to leggy trailing stems. Removing any small flower spikes that appear pushes energy back into the foliage.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in 100mm pots and sold in packs of 10, which suits filling a bowl, planting a terrarium or covering the soil of several larger pots at once. Each plant arrives as a rooted, well coloured cluster rather than a single stem.

Because the foliage is soft, some wilting after transit is normal. Water on arrival, keep the plants out of direct sun for a few days, and they will lift within a day. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse more pet friendly indoor plants.
• Read our guide to the best pet safe plants for the home.
• Compare the full indoor plant range.
• See what suits low light rooms.

Common questions

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

Yes. Nerve plants are not toxic to cats or dogs, which is why they appear on almost every pet safe plant list. Chewing any plant can still upset a small animal, so discourage it.

Why has it collapsed flat?

It has dried out. This plant wilts far more dramatically than most, then recovers within a few hours of a thorough watering. Repeated collapses will cost you leaves, so water before the mix goes bone dry.

Can I keep it in a bathroom?

It is one of the best plants for a bathroom, provided there is a window for indirect light. The humidity from a shower suits it better than a dry living room.