Goldfish plant in modern extension and RHS usage is Nematanthus gregarius. Family Gesneriaceae. Native to southeast Brazil. Trailing epiphyte with fleshy glossy leaves and bright orange pouch-like flowers that suggest a goldfish or clog. RHS common name: clog plant.

Labels may still say Hypocyrta. NCSU lists Hypocyrta as a common name and synonyms including Hypocyrta radicans, Columnea radicans, and Nematanthus radicans. Same URL for the Nematanthus gregarius page.

“Goldfish plant” is also used for other gesneriads. Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder applies the common name to Columnea microcalyx. A UF/IFAS pet-safety blog lists Hypocyrta nummularia as goldfish plant. Check the botanical name on the label. This page follows NCSU and RHS on Nematanthus gregarius.

NCSU Recommended Propagation Strategy: stem cutting and root cutting. RHS: softwood (stem-tip) cuttings in spring. Opened primaries do not give cutting lengths, media recipes, or rooting week counts for this species.

Indoor hanging-basket focus. For mix, see soil propagation.

Softwood stem-tip cuttings

RHS Nematanthus gregarius: propagate by softwood (stem-tip) cuttings in spring. Cultivation frame for the same profile: peat-free potting compost, bright filtered light, watering with soft water. RHS also notes removing shoot tips on young plants to encourage branching, which is pruning language rather than a numbered cutting protocol.

NCSU: Recommended Propagation Strategy includes stem cutting. Same page: peat-free potting compost, bright filtered light, soft water, trailing habit suited to a hanging basket, keep above 50°F. No cutting length or days-to-root on that page.

Opened NCSU and RHS pages do not give cutting lengths, water-jar steps, or rooting week counts for this species. Iowa State’s general stem-tip article does not list Nematanthus among its example species.

Root cuttings

NCSU Recommended Propagation Strategy also lists root cutting. The opened species page does not describe how to take or stick a root cutting, so this page names the strategy without adding steps.

Common mistakes

  • Inventing cutting lengths, humidity-dome weeks, or water-rooting day counts not on opened NCSU/RHS pages.
  • Writing a root-cutting how-to from the NCSU strategy tag alone.
  • Collapsing Columnea microcalyx (Mobot “goldfish plant”) or Hypocyrta nummularia list entries into Nematanthus gregarius methods without checking the label.
  • Ignoring the 50°F floor NCSU states for this tropical.
  • Treating RHS spring softwood timing as year-round without saying RHS wrote spring.

People also ask

What is the botanical name for goldfish plant?

NCSU and RHS: Nematanthus gregarius. Older labels: Hypocyrta / Hypocyrta radicans. Other plants called goldfish plant exist (Mobot Columnea microcalyx; some lists Hypocyrta nummularia).

When do I take cuttings?

RHS: softwood stem-tip cuttings in spring.

Does NCSU agree on cuttings?

Yes. NCSU Recommended Propagation Strategy: stem cutting (and root cutting, without steps on that page).

Can I root goldfish plant in water?

Opened NCSU and RHS Nematanthus pages do not describe water rooting. Do not invent a water method here.

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