Peperomia

Read about Peperomia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Peperomia (Greek, pepper-like). Piperaceae. An enormous genus of tropical and subtropical herbs, including a few small but choice foliage plants for warmhouse, conservatory, or house decoration. Annual, or perenial by a creeping caudex or by tubers formed at the base: sts. prostrate, creeping and thread-like, prostrate, creeping and thread-like,or erect and slender, or short thick,and succulent: lvs. alternate, opposite, or in whorls of 3-4 (rarely 5-6), entire, fleshy or membranous, often with pellucid dots, sometimes attractively veined or colored: fls. minute, usually disposed in a dense spike; stamens 2: anther-cells confluent; stigma sessile, undivided, often tufted: fr. a small or minute berry, 1-seeded,with thin pericarp. —Species perhaps 500 or more, widely dispersed, but mostly in Amer. from Fla. to Chile and Argentina. Very few are cult. The names of peper- omias are much confused, partly owing to the vast size of the genus, which always increases the difficulties of discrimination, and partly to the minuteness of the fls. Moreover, the duration of many kinds is uncertain, while great numbers are monocarpic, that is, they flower and fruit once and then die. In the following account, the names are those that mostly appear in the trade and in horticultural literature; now far these names may be properly determined botanically is a subject for investigation. Peperomias are very attractive and beautiful small- stature glasshouse plants, having particularly a very decorative appearance among other foliage plants. For their general culture they need a warm house. By the end of January they will become active both in root and foliage. From February on they will stand an increase in temperature to about 62° at night; this may be increased until they are having 65° to 70° with an increase of 10° to 15° on bright days. As the sun gets powerful in the spring, they will need shade, or as soon as the foliage shows signs of losing color. In the summer they need a good supply of water, but in autumn and winter they require very careful watering. In spring and summer they profit by frequent light spraying. Keep the atmosphere of the house in a moist state, but avoid a stuffy or stagnant condition. In the slow time of winter, they will stand the temperature to be lowered to about 60 with 10° to 15° increase with sun. Give less spraying and be very careful in giving water during the dark and dull time, otherwise the roots will rot.-f-They can be propagated readily from pieces of the stems or leaves placed in pans of silver sand and plunged where they will have bottom heat of 75° to 80°. Do not cover with glass as it tends to make them rot. Keep shaded and be very careful about watering, and they will soon root. When they make sufficient roots, they may be potted up into small pots, using loam four parts, fibrous peat two parts, ana enough sand to keep it open. For larger shifts, use a more lumpy mixture of fibrous loam, fibrous peat, and well-decayed cow-manure. By July or August they should get their last shift, until the coming of spring. They will stand full sun by the end of September and through the winter, and this greatly aids in keeping them in good condition at that season. (J. J. M. Farrell.) In some collections is a plant known as P. crassifolia (which is probably not P. crassifolia. Baker, of Trop. Afr.). It is a very distinct species with dark green, ovate, fleshy lvs. 3x5 in., becoming very hard when old: sts. branched and upright in habit, a foot in height: fls : insignificant catkins. It ia a very good plant and deserve to be more generally known.—P. pubifolia, Veitch. Perennial creeper of unknown habitat, suitable for hanging-baskets. Lvs. small, ovate, marked with a central gray bar.—P. resedaeflora. Andre, intro. in 1865, was "found in all stoves" 2 years later and paid to be "a plant for the million." It differs from all the above in being a flowering plant rather than a foliage plant, for the lvs. are merely bordered lighter green and the fis. are about as showy as those of a mignonette, each one 3—4 lines long, and 100 or so in a raceme, St. 1-1 1/2 ft. high, red, forked: lvs. broadly ovate, cordate.Colombia.. B.M.6619. Wilhelm Miller. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

? Peperomia
Peperomia with flower spikes in Costa Rica
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Piperales Family: Piperaceae Genus: Peperomia Ruiz & Pav.
Species
Over 1000, including: Peperomia acuminata Peperomia alata Peperomia caperata Peperomia clusiaefolia Peperomia cookiana Peperomia corcovadensis Peperomia crassifolia Peperomia fraseri Peperomia galioides Peperomia glabella Peperomia graveolens Peperomia griseo-argentea Peperomia hederaefolia Peperomia incana Peperomia johnsonii Peperomia leptostachya Peperomia lyman-smithii Peperomia maculosa Peperomia maxonii Peperomia nivalis Peperomia obtusifolia Peperomia pellucida Peperomia prostrata Peperomia rhombea Peperomia rotundifolia Peperomia rubella Peperomia sandersii Peperomia tetraphylla Peperomia urvilleana Peperomia velutina See also List of Peperomia species

Peperomia is one of the 2 large genera of the Piperaceae family, with more than 1000 recorded species. Most of them are compact, small perennial epiphytes growing on rotten wood. More than 1500 species have been recorded, occurring in all tropical and subtropical regions of the world, though concentrated to Central and Northern South America. A limited number of species (around 17) are found in Africa.

Description

Though varying considerably in appearance (see gallery below), these species generally have thick, stout stems and fleshy leaves, sometimes with leaf windows. Peperomia flowers typically come under yellow to brown conical spikes.

These tropical perennials are grown for their ornamental foliage. They are mostly natives of tropical America. They are compact and small and usually do not exceed 12" in height. They vary considerably in appearance. Some have threadlike, trailing stems and some have fleshy, stout stems. The leaves are smooth and fleshy and may be oval with the leafstalk at or near the center of the leaf blade, or they may be heart-shaped or lance-shaped; their size may vary from 1-4 inches long. They may be green or striped, marbled or bordered with pale green, red or gray and the petioles of some kinds are red. The tiny flowers are unnoticeable and they grow in the form of cordlike spikes

Horticulture

Peperomias are grown for their ornamental foliage, and sometimes for their attractive flowers (Peperomia fraseri). Except the succulent species, they are generally easy to grow under greenhouse. Different species (e.g. Peperomia caperata) and cultivars are found in the trade.

Propagation

These plant are usually propagated by seeds. They are also commercially propagated by cuttage. Peperomia cuttings root easily.

These plants can be divided at potting time. They are removed and separated into smaller pieces that have a few roots attached. Leaf or stem cuttings can also be taken in the spring or summer. Remove the lower leaves of the shoots and make a cut below the bottom node (joint). Then lay them on a bench for an hour or two to allow a protective corky skin to form over the cuts. Insert the stem cuttings in a propagating case with a bottom heat of 70-75 degrees. Don’t close the top completely, since the plants are semi-succulent in nature they do not give off water very fast. When enough r oots have formed they can be potted in 3-inch pots or in hanging baskets. Seeds may also be sown.

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  Peperomia incana, a large herb

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  Peperomia prostrata, a hanging or creeping succulent

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  Peperomia nivalis ssp./var. crassa, a xerophyte

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  Peperomia obtusifolia, a small herb

External links

• www.peperomia.net