Red Flame Nerve Plant

Red Flame Nerve Plant (Fittonia albivenis 'Red Flame') is the small indoor plant you buy for pattern rather than size. It grows to about 15cm tall and spreads to roughly 30cm, with olive green leaves netted in deep pink and red veins that hold their colour all year. It is also non toxic to cats and dogs, which narrows the field fast in a home with pets.

Why you'll love it

• Colour without flowers. The veining does the work, so a shaded shelf stays interesting through winter when nothing is blooming.
• Safe around cats and dogs. Not toxic if chewed, unlike most of the popular aroids sold alongside it.
• It tells you when it is thirsty. The leaves go limp within hours of drying out and recover after a drink, so watering is easy to learn.
• Small enough for anywhere. Under 15cm tall, it fits a desk, a bathroom ledge or the front row of a mixed pot.

Where it works best

Indoors, away from windows. This is a rainforest floor plant, so bright indirect light or a shaded corner suits it. Direct sun bleaches the veining within days.

Bathrooms, terrariums and closed containers. Constant humidity is the one thing it insists on, and a bathroom with a window or a glass terrarium delivers it for free.

Balconies and courtyards. Outdoors it only works in tropical and subtropical gardens, in full shade. It is frost tender, so anywhere colder it comes inside for winter.

Growing nerve plant in Australia

Position and climate. Low to medium indirect light indoors, anywhere in the country. Outdoors it is limited to frost free tropical and subtropical gardens in deep shade. Keep it clear of air conditioning vents and heaters, which dry the air fast.

Soil. An indoor mix that holds moisture but still drains, in a pot with a drainage hole. Repot every second year into something only slightly larger, since the roots stay shallow.

Water and feed. Keep the mix lightly moist and never let it dry through, which usually means a small drink two or three times a week in summer. Group it with other plants to lift humidity, and give a half strength liquid fertiliser monthly from spring to autumn.

Pruning. Pinch the growing tips every few weeks to keep it compact and stop the stems running bare. Trimmings root readily in water.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold as tube stock: a young plant with a handful of leaves and roots ready to move. Pot it into a 100mm to 130mm decorative pot on arrival and it will fill that pot within a season. Nerve plants travel far better small than large.

Some wilting on arrival is normal, and a drink usually fixes it within a few hours. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to keep your indoor plants alive covers the light and watering mistakes behind most failures.
• Browse the wider indoor plants range.
• Compare other pet friendly indoor plants.
• Choosing the right size pot when you repot the tube.

Common questions

Is it really safe for cats and dogs?

Yes. Fittonia is one of the few patterned indoor plants that is not toxic to cats or dogs, so a curious chew is not an emergency. Any plant can still upset a stomach in quantity.

Why does it collapse and then recover?

Thin leaves and shallow roots mean it wilts the moment the mix dries, then stands back up within hours of watering. Repeated collapses cost leaves, so water little and often.

Does it need a terrarium?

No, but it is happier in one. In a dry room the leaf edges crisp, so a closed container, a bathroom or a grouped arrangement all help.