Last Updated on January 19, 2023 by Plant Mom Care
The attractive Peperomia species are largely indigenous to the Caribbean, Mexico, and South America consisting of more than 1,500 species that are popularly cultivated these days.
These vigorous plants mostly have thick and fleshy leaves that help the plants tolerate drought in most cases.
These ornamentals are largely grown for their attractive foliage with smooth or textured leaves that vary in shades of green, red, gray, or purple; either solid, variegated, or marbled and are either large, tiny, tapered, circular, or heart-shaped in size and shape.
Almost all varieties in the genus are low maintenance and, under appropriate conditions can be planted throughout the year.
Peperomia Ferreyrae
This plant has attractive erect lime-green leaves, with each leaf looking like a green bean.
This compact plant is endemic to Peru and perfect to grow on a table, desk, bookshelf, or any space in your home or office adding a nice decorative touch of greenery.
It needs very minimal care and will stay looking healthy and beautiful for quite some time.
- Light: indirect bright light.
- Soil: well-aerated soil with good drainage.
- Height: 12 inches high.
- Growth Rate: Slow to moderate.
Peperomia Angulata
Peperomia angulata is indigenous to Central & South America. This beautiful ornamental has small deep green ovate leaves, attractively patterned with light green veins. The fragile rosy stems have a hanging or trailing habit and reach about 12 inches long. It produces insignificant white erect flowers that are not fragrant or decorative.
It is perfect for rooms and offices lit under fluorescent lighting and can also be grown outdoors under shade in spring or summer provided it is brought indoors for winter in cold climates. The plants are used for ground cover in gardens and near ponds in tropical areas. Its trailing habit makes it ideal to keep in hanging baskets.
- Light: indirect bright light.
- Soil: well-aerated soil with good drainage.
- Height: 12 inches high.
- Growth Rate: slow growing indoors, but fast-growing outdoors in tropical areas.
Peperomia Obtusifolia or Baby Rubber Plant
This succulent-like plant originates from South American rainforests. It is called Baby Rubber Plant, although it is not related to Ficus elastic or Hevea brasiliensis.
It has thick, erect stems bearing green spoon-shaped glossy leaves with pink petioles that store water. The leaves can also be variegated with green and white marbling. In its native environs, the leaves shrivel in drought, plumping up when it rains.
This plant is usually grown indoors on desktops or tables and non-variegated cultivars can tolerate low light for many months without problems.
- Light: moderate or low light, however variegated cultivars need more light.
- Soil: rich, well-draining soil.
- Height: 14 inches tall.
- Growth Rate: fast-grower.
Peperomia Hope
Peperomia Hope, a hybrid cultivar of P. quadrifolia and P. deppeana, has thick, small, round leaves that grow in clusters of 3 or 4 more spaced apart on the stems.
The tiny underwhelming flowers are brown and green spikes that protrude from the plant. Some cultivators remove the flowers to redirect energy toward producing more foliage.
Ideally, hanging baskets are best suited for this plant to highlight its compact growth, trailing habit, and evergreen foliage.
- Light: bright indirect lighting.
- Soil: rich and well-drained soil.
- Height: around 6 – 8 inches tall.
- Growth Rate: slow-grower.
Peperomia Watermelon
Watermelon peperomia is indigenous to the understory of South American rainforests. This compact plant is popular with gardeners due to the striking, colorful, silvery watermelon patterns of its oval green leaves that grow on the tips of maroon stems.
It produces insignificant flowers that some cultivators elect to cut off to redirect the plant’s energy toward producing foliage instead.
It can adapt very well to growing grouped with other plants indoors and its small bushy appearance makes it well suited to grow outdoors as ground cover.
- Light: bright indirect lighting.
- Soil: rich and well-draining soil
- Height: about 8 inches tall.
Growth Rate: fast-grower.
Silver Peperomia Frost (Caperata)
Peperomia Frost originates from the Caribbean, Central & South America. This lovely compact, the evergreen perennial plant has green, heart-shaped, rippled, silver-dusted leaves. The spiky flowers are unexceptional and without fragrance.
It grows on other trees and plants in its natural habitat, extracting nutrients and moisture from the debris it grows on. While the leaves are fleshy, it isn’t succulent and requires high humidity levels to survive.
This plant is ideal to grow in fairy gardens, terrariums, or a potted houseplant for your office or home, brightening up the place with its colorful attractive foliage. It can also grow outdoors during summer, with protection from direct sun. This plant is low-maintenance and suitable for beginners to cultivate.
- Light: bright indirect lighting.
- Soil: well-aerated and well-draining soil.
- Height: about 12 inches tall.
- Growth Rate: slow.
Peperomia Orba
Peperomia orba is from Central & South America. This tropical semi-succulent plant does well indoors. The tiny delicate, teardrop leaves are green-yellow with light white lines running through the middle.
The leaves are 1 – 2 inches long and grow closely on red, fleshy, trailing stems. The flowers are unimpressive and are generally removed. The beauty of the variegated lime-green leaves and its compact shape make it an attractive desk plant. Its stunning appearance looks good in mixed plant boxes or small decorative pots.
The variegated Peperomia orba is particularly interesting as its leaves come with an irregular border of white.
- Light: indirect bright light.
- Soil: well-draining soil.
- Height: about 6 inches tall.
- Growth Rate: slow.
Peperomia Ruby Cascade
This vining plant has unique green leaves with ruby-red undersides and originates from Central & South America. The stems often grow several feet long and produce small, pink flowers outdoors in spring.
However, this rarely happens with indoor plants. This plant often climbs up trunks of trees or rocks in its native environs. The variety is popular with many houseplant cultivators who often keep it in hanging baskets.
The striking feature of this plant is its dual-colored leaves. The top surface is a deep, glossy dark green, while the underside is a rich ruby color.
- Light: bright indirect lighting.
- Soil: well-aerated and well-draining soil.
- Height: around 3 – 5 inches tall, however the vines grow several feet long.
- Growth Rate: slow.
Peperomia Tetragona
This plant originates from South America. It tends to climb upwards or grow in a trailing habit when it hangs from the roots of plants or rocks in its natural habitat.
The beautifully patterned oval green leaves have attractive white veins and grow in whorls on fleshy red stems while the flowers are nondescript white spikes.
This decorative perennial will thrive in an outdoor garden for years or indoors in conservatories, greenhouses, windowsills, and terrariums. It is very suitable for small apartments as it doesn’t take up much space.
- Light: moderate to bright indirect lighting.
- Soil: rich, well-draining soil.
- Height: 6 – 12 inches tall
- Growth Rate: slow
Peperomia Clusiifolia
Peperomia clusiifolia is indigenous to Florida and Central America. This colorful evergreen needs very minimal care. The thick, waxy, elongated, jelly-like oval leaves come in various shades of green with red or pink colors along the edges. The leaves emerge from upright stems that store plenty of water. The flowers are greenish-white spikes.
This plant will not grow more than 6 – 12 inches tall although it can live for decades. It grows well in offices or rooms with only fluorescent light sources, although it should get a minimum exposure of 12 – 15 hours every day. While it tolerates low light, foliage colors might not be as bright and growth might slow down. Currently, this plant has become trendy as a small desktop or tabletop plant due to its bushy compact evergreen growth habit.
- Light: bright indirect lighting.
- Soil: rich and well-drained soil.
- Height: 12 inches tall
- Growth Rate: fast
Peperomia Rubella
This rare vining plant originates from Jamaica and has attractive copper-tinted leaves with crimson-red undersides and stems. The stems are initially erect and become trailing runners when they are 4 – 6 inches high, making it a great plant to grow in terrariums or containers although it displays its colorful foliage better when kept in hanging baskets.
It produces insignificant non-fragrant green-white flower spikes resembling tentacles sticking up from the leaves in summer.
- Light: bright indirect lighting.
- Soil: well-draining soil.
- Height: 4 – 6″ tall, then trails like a vine.
- Growth Rate: moderate
Peperomia Perciliata
This rare variety from Ecuador is now designated as endangered in its native habitat. It is very difficult to find as it’s not usually sold in nurseries or garden centers. It has small cordate green leaves and ruddy stems and has a trailing growth habit. The flowers are small and white. The stems initially grow upright but start trailing once they get taller than 2-3 inches.
These plants usually look good cascading from hanging baskets, containers, or as underplants in terrariums where they will grow like a mat.
- Light: bright indirect lighting.
- Soil: rich soil that drains well.
- Height: 2 inches tall
- Growth Rate: slow
Peperomia rotundifolia
This evergreen succulent perennial is indigenous to tropical South American rainforests, growing on rock crevices, trees, fallen logs, and forest floors. The small, round dark green leaves with light green veins grow on long soft stems that attractively weave and interlace with each other. It produces small green or brown flowers on spikes. The flowers are unimpressive and undermined by the lovely foliage and trailing stems.
- Light: can tolerate moderate to low light but grows best under bright indirect lighting.
- Soil: well-drained soil
- Height: 8 – 12 inches tall
- Growth Rate: slow
Peperomia Serpens
Peperomia serpens is indigenous to tropical Central & South America. This vining perennial resembles a miniature ivy. In its natural environment, it grows as an epiphyte, with its stems and dark green pointed cordate leaves hanging freely from trees.
While it produces flowers, the main attraction is its shiny green foliage and brown woody stems, although there are a few cultivars with green and creamy white or splotchy yellow margins on variegated foliage. The stems can grow almost 2 feet long, so most gardeners often keep them in hanging baskets.
- Light: bright indirect lighting.
- Soil: well-draining and well-aerated soil
- Height: almost 12 inches tall
- Growth Rate: fast
Peperomia Nivalis
Peperomia nivalis is endemic to Peru, growing at high altitudes of the Andes. This erect compact succulent herb has fleshy leaves and stems. The cuneate leaves are bright green, white or white-flushed pink undersides and have U-shaped cross-sections with windows on top.
These stems give off a lovely anise-like fragrance due to their sap which is particularly favored by cultivators. The flower spike with small yellow-white flowers has a bad odor
It is an ideal plant to keep on desktops or dish gardens because of its size, shape, and color.
- Light: bright indirect lighting.
- Soil: rich soil that drains well.
- Height: 6 inches tall.
- Growth Rate: slow
