The Goldfish Plant (Nematanthus gregarius) is a popular houseplant known for its glossy, dark green foliage and distinct, pouch-like orange flowers resembling tiny leaping fish. Its leaves often have a slightly thickened, waxy texture, which frequently leads owners to question its classification as a succulent. This visual confusion is understandable, as many plants adapted to handle dry spells develop similar leaf characteristics. However, the Goldfish Plant’s care requirements are fundamentally different from those of true succulents, a distinction rooted in its natural environment and botanical identity.
Defining Succulents
A succulent is a plant with specialized tissues designed to store water, allowing it to survive in arid climates where rainfall is infrequent. Water storage typically occurs in the leaves, stems, or roots, resulting in a fleshy, swollen appearance. The primary purpose of this adaptation is to maximize water retention and minimize loss.
Many true succulents also utilize Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis. This specialized adaptation allows the plant to open its leaf pores, or stomata, only at night to absorb carbon dioxide, minimizing water loss during the day’s heat. By storing carbon dioxide overnight, these plants can photosynthesize during the day with closed stomata, achieving a highly efficient water-use ratio. Succulence is a deep-seated biological strategy for surviving extended periods of drought.
The Goldfish Plant’s Botanical Identity
Despite its slightly fleshy leaves, the Goldfish Plant (Nematanthus gregarius) is definitively not a succulent. It belongs to the Gesneriaceae family, making it a relative of the African Violet and the Lipstick Plant. These are all plants generally requiring moderate to high humidity.
The plant is native to the tropical forests of Brazil, where it primarily grows as an epiphyte, meaning it naturally clings to other plants or rocky outcroppings. The Goldfish Plant’s natural habitat is a humid, warm environment with dappled sunlight, contrasting sharply with the arid landscapes favored by most succulents. Its thickened leaves are an adaptation to endure brief, temporary dry periods in its tropical setting, not the extensive, prolonged droughts of a desert.
Providing Proper Care
Caring for the Goldfish Plant successfully means providing the conditions of its native tropical home, not treating it like a succulent. This plant needs consistent moisture, demanding that the soil remain lightly moist without ever becoming waterlogged or soggy. Unlike succulents, which thrive on deep watering followed by drought, the Goldfish Plant will suffer from extended dry spells.
The plant requires substantially higher humidity levels than most homes naturally provide, often needing 50% to 70% relative humidity to flourish. Using a pebble tray or a room humidifier helps meet this requirement, especially during dry winter months.
Goldfish Plants prefer bright, indirect light, such as near an east-facing window or a few feet away from a south or west-facing window. Direct, intense sunlight, which many succulents tolerate or require, will scorch the Goldfish Plant’s foliage.
The optimal growing medium should be airy and well-draining, mimicking its epiphytic nature. A mix incorporating ingredients like peat moss, perlite, or orchid bark is far better than the dense, sandy soil used for desert succulents. Using a loose, fast-draining mix prevents the roots from sitting in standing water, a common cause of failure for this tropical plant.