Peperomia ferreyrae ‘Peppy’™ at 9″ tall x 13″ wide on 11-24-12, #132-5.
Peperomia
pep-er-ROH-mee-uh
The Peperomia genus, also commonly known as Radiator Plant, is one of the two largest genera in the plant family Piperaceae. The genus, Peperomia Ruiz & Pav., was named and described by Hipólito Ruiz López and José Antonio Pavo (Jiménez) in Florae Peruvianae in 1794.
As of 12-21-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online lists 1,416 species in the Peperomia genus. It is a member of the plant family Piperaceae with 5 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.
Peperomia species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Most species grow as small epiphytic plants growing on rainforest floors on decaying wood. Some species, such as Peperomia ferreyrae, have epidermal windows on the upper part of their leaves.
Peperomia obtusifolia var. variegata ‘Golden’ at 11″ tall x 15″ wide on 9-17-13, #188-48.
Many Peperomia species are grown as houseplants for their ornamental foliage and most do not grow larger than 12” tall. Most of their flowers, although unique, are not pretty.
Although considered a succulent plant, they have different growing requirements than most succulents. Since their native habitat is in rainforests, they prefer a peaty, organic potting mix that remains somewhat moist but not wet. They should be watered once the top part of the soil dries somewhat. They do not like wet soil, only somewhat damp.
It is best to place them where they receive filtered light to part shade as to much sun will burn their leaves.
They like humidity, but misting is not necessarily needed unless they are in a dry environment during the winter. You can place the pots on shallow pans or plates with pebbles with water added to add humidity.
Indoors, they prefer bright light, but maybe not direct sun, such as in a window with an east exposure.
Many Peperomia species are easily propagated by leaf or stem cuttings and from seed.
I have only grown two species of Peperomia, Peperomia ferreyrae ‘Peppy’™ and a variegated Peperomia obtusifolia ‘Golden’, but maybe someday I can try more. There are many species and cultivars available.
For further reading, you can check out a few links below. If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, I would like to hear from you. Please click on the “Like” below if you have visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂
Some websites may have conflicting information, as far as “numbers” are concerned. Just remember, we are all a work in progress…
The Belmont Rooster 