What Is Peperomia?
Peperomia is a large genus of flowering epiphytic plants native to the global tropics and subtropics. Several species are cultivated ornamentally and make suitable houseplants. These plants are usually grown for their lush and sometimes colorful foliage, although a few produce distinctive and visually interesting flowers. Nurseries may carry Peperomia plants or seeds and it is also possible to propagate them with cuttings taken from mature plants. Members of this genus, comprising over 1,000 known species, tend to be very compact in size. They are adapted for the filtered light found under the forest canopy in tropical and subtropical regions, and like other epiphytic plants, they grow in the canopy itself, rather than on the ground. The foliage varies, depending on the species, but tends to be fleshy. It can be ridged, smooth, variegated, or hairy, and flowers are produced in small spikes nestled into the foliage.
