Valeria Garci-Crespo López is a UX/UI designer at FYTA. She’s loves all things tech, design, plants and green living. Her favorite plant: Pilea peperomioides.

My favorite plant is the Pilea peperomioides or Ufo-Plant. I just love the shape of the leaves. Also, it has a pretty cool way of making plant babies – it reproduces by „wind dispersion“ (anemogamy). Towards the end of each flowering period, the stamens of the plant burst open almost explosively and fling their pollen from them. The pollen then floats for a short time like a cloud over the money tree before it gets distributed by the wind. Come to think of it: it’s like having sex with a natural element – pretty wild!

My care tip? Since UFO plants are sun-loving, you should turn them frequently. Otherwise, the plant will grow lopsided : )

When watering, make sure you put the water directly on the substrate, and the leaves don’t get wet. Also, avoid waterlogging.