Basket Plant (Callisia fragrans): Succulent Houseplant with Medicinal Reputation

Basket plant, also called chain plant or inch plant, is a succulent perennial with long, arching stems bearing rosettes of fleshy, fragrant leaves. It is grown as a houseplant, ground cover in frost-free areas, and in traditional medicine.

Botanical Profile

• Family: Commelinaceae
• Genus: Callisia
• Species: fragrans

Growth and Appearance

Stems grow 1–3 feet long, arching or trailing. Leaves are in rosettes, lanceolate, fleshy, green with purple undersides, fragrant when crushed. Small, white, fragrant flowers in panicles. Plantlets form at stem nodes.

Culture

Bright indirect light to part shade. Well-drained, succulent mix. Water when dry; drought-tolerant. Tropical (USDA zones 10–11); houseplant elsewhere. Easy to propagate from stem cuttings or plantlets.

Uses

Houseplant, hanging basket, ground cover in tropics, medicinal herb (traditional uses for inflammation, skin conditions).