Common name: Peperomia
Family: Piperaceae, Pepper
Height x width: 8-12" x 12-24" depending on species
Foliage: mainly alternate, fleshy, often long-stalked, elliptic to ovate to heart-shaped, variously colored
Flowers: upright spikes, white or greenish, often not produced indoors, insignificant
Light: bright to moderate, many tolerate low
Temperature: moderate
Watering: allow to dry between waterings
Fertility: moderate
Humidity: average, thick-leaved species often tolerate dry
Soil: well-drained
Pests and Problems: root rots if too wet, mealybugs; sensitive to cold and drafts
Growth habit, uses: foliage, some species for groundcovers or hanging
Other interest: native to tropical and subtropical America; from the Greek peperi meaning pepper, and homoios meaning resembling, refering to its resemblance to the related Pepper genus
Other culture: easy, adaptable, popular
Propagation: softwood, leaf, leaf bud cuttings or seed
Species:
Those marked * are most commonly seen as species.
• caperata (ca-per-ah' tah)--mound forming, long stemmed, deeply corrugated, heart shaped, deep green leaves
• clusiifolia (clue-si-fol' ee-ah)-- Red-edged Peperomia, obovate, slightly concave, green leaves purple tinged when young
• dolabriformis (do-la-bri-for' miss)-- Prayer Peperomia, robust, erect, purse-shaped from two halves folded upwards and fused along margin
• fraseri (fra' ser-ii)-- Flowering Peperomia, upright, rosette forming, stiff, heart-shaped, shiny dark green leaves pale beneath with red veins
• glabella (gla-bell' lah)-- Wax Privet Peperomia, spreading, slightly obovate leaves dotted with black glands
• griseoargentea (gri-zee-o-are-gen' tee-ah)-- Ivy-leaf peperomia, rosette forming, heart-shaped, silvery gray leaves with copper edges
• hederifolia:griseoargentea
• incana (in-ca' nah)--Felted Peperomia, stiff, semi-erect later spreading, broadly ovate gray-green leaves with white-wooly hairs
• maculosa (ma-cu-lo' sah)-- Radiator Plant, robust, erect becoming straggly, ovate, shiny dark green leaves
• magnoliifolia:obtusifolia
• marmorata (mar-mor-ah' tah)-- Sweetheart Peperomia, rosette forming, heart-shaped, dull to bluish green leaves striped silvery-gray with indented veins
• metallica (me-tal' li-cah)-- Red tree, erect, bushy, elliptic dark red leaves with a broad silver central band
• nivalis (ni-val' iss)-- variably creeping or erect, boat-shaped and keeled bright green leaves, whitish beneath, crowded at stem tips, anise-scented sap
• nummulariifolia:rotundifolia
• *obtusifolia (ob-tu-si-fol' ee-ah)-- Baby Rubber Plant, stiff and upright, elliptic, leathery, dull green leaves
• orba (or' bah)-- Princess Astrid, erect, bushy, ovate, softly hairy, gray-green leaves with a broad silver central stripe
• residiflora:fraseri
• *rotundifolia (ro-tun-di-fol' ee-ah)-- Yerba Linda, creeping, usually epiphytic, slender fleshy stems with minute hairs, rounded bright green leaves
• rubella (ru-bel' lah)-- erect becoming straggly, whorls of 4-t elliptic, pale-veined leaves coppery beneath
• sandersii:argyreia
• scandens (scan' dens)-- False Philodendron, trailing with heart-shaped leaves
• velutina (ve-luu' ti-nah)-- upright, bushy, broadly elliptic, fleshy, velvety dark green leaves with pale veins and red beneath
• verschaffeltii:marmorata
• verticillata (ver-ti-cil-lah' tah)-- erect, rounded to obovate
leaves, pale green above and pink-red beneath, softly white hairy
Those marked * are most commonly seen.
| Cultivar | species | foliage, habit, other |
| *'Emerald Ripple' | caperata | deep green, darker stripes along veins |
| 'Green and Gold' | obtusifolia | golden yellow margins |
| 'Little Fantasy' | caperata | dwarf, dark green |
| 'Luna Red' | caperata | dark crimson leaves and stems |
| 'Pixie' | orba | dwarf form of species |
| 'Silver Heart' | marmorata | pale green, broad silver stripes |
| 'Teardrop':'Pixie' | ||
| 'Tricolor' | caperata | pale green, central pink, wide cream edges |
| 'Variegata' | clusiifolia | red margins, creamy variegated |
| 'Variegata' | glabella | creamy yellow margins |
| *'Variegata' | obtusifolia | wide white or yellow margins |
| 'Variegata' | scandens | broad yellow margins, tends to revert |
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