This is an easily-grown, upright species, originating in Vietnam and commonly called aluminum plant because of its unusual, metallic-silver markings on the leaves. The slender branchlets are green, tinted pink, but are inclined to become bare at the base and straggly as the plant ages. The leaves are oval, toothed around the edges, and marked with silver on a dark green background, sometimes to the extent that the whole leaf appears metallic silver.
The markings are caused by tiny pockets of air between the veins within the leaf, raising the surface slightly and giving an opalescent effect. P.c. ‘Minima’ is a dwarf cultivar with densely branched, pink stems and small, scalloped, deep olive green leaves with raised silver patches.
Size: Height 18 in. (4b cm).
Light: Indirect sunlight or partial shade.
Temperature: Keep warm; minimum 55°F (12°C).
Moisture: Keep barely moist.
Feeding: Give half-strength liquid fertilizer every two weeks in spring and summer.
Propagation: Take 3 in. (7 cm) tip cuttings in spring or summer.
Special needs: Regular pinching out of growing Lips will encourage a bushy plant that will riot become straggly as quickly.