Habitat:
Dischidia nummularia is native to a wide range across South and Southeast Asia, including India (Andaman Islands), Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia (Peninsular and Borneo), Indonesia, and the Philippines. It typically grows in lowland to hill evergreen forests, from sea level to around 800 metres elevation. It is an epiphyte, forming dense, spreading mats on the trunks and branches of trees, often in areas with high humidity and frequent rainfall. It favours open forest canopies or the edges of tropical forest, and can sometimes be found on rock faces in humid, shaded areas.
Description:
Dischidia nummularia is a small-leaved, creeping to pendant epiphytic vine, known for its succulent, coin-shaped foliage. Stems are thin, wiry, and trailing, often forming dense, cascading mats that can extend over 1 metre in cultivated conditions. Leaves are opposite, nearly circular, 6–12 mm in diameter, thick, and light green to yellow-green, sometimes tinged red under strong light. They are attached by very short petioles and exhibit a distinct convex surface, helping reduce water loss. Flowers are tiny and pale—usually cream to yellowish, tubular, and borne in small axillary clusters. Each flower is approximately 2–3 mm long, often overlooked unless examined up close. Unlike some other Dischidia species, it does not form modified pouch leaves. It can be mistaken for Hoya curtisii in juvenile growth, but differs in its completely rounded leaves and growth pattern.
Cultivation:
Grow Dischidia nummularia in bright, filtered light or partial shade, avoiding direct midday sun. Ideal daytime temperatures are 20–28 °C, with nighttime lows of 14–18 °C. Maintain high humidity (60–85%), with good air movement. Plant in a well-drained epiphytic mix of bark, charcoal, sphagnum moss, and perlite, or mount on cork or wood with sphagnum backing. Water regularly during the growing season, allowing the substrate to dry slightly between waterings. Avoid waterlogging. It prefers a slightly acidic to neutral pH (6.0–6.8). Fertilise monthly with a diluted orchid or epiphytic plant fertiliser during active growth. Best suited to terraria, hanging baskets, or mounted displays in tropical-style collections.
Specifications:
Plant Size: established plants in pots. This is a special miniature form.
Plant Family: Apocynaceae
Plant Passport: Dischidia nummularia variegated B 140084 C [user input] D GB