1272 



PEPEROMIA 



PEPEROMIA 



few plants an- ln-f 

 in tropir;il lii.ii^.'- 

 ing so murli in '!•■ 

 ferent buus ut tin 



iil.pi.' 



m1 f.ir iMruKLiii'iit bordering 

 i.'i'oini:!^, tiiiir leaves vary- 

 'iir. 111 tiiarliliiij^, in the dif- 

 Liud uudLT surfaces, and in 



the colour of their stalks; then, too, they are not attrac- 

 tive to insects, make no litter, and give very little 

 trouble in propagating and cultivating." 



The plant which seems to be the commonest in cult, 

 here is the one figured in B.M. 503-t as P. arifolia, var. 

 arfft/reia. However, DeCandolle thought that this plant 

 was not tlip true P. arifolia, and he renamed it P. Saii- 

 (I. r.in I, iff cr Wilson Sanders), but the name is invariably 

 s|irlli(l s^iuiidcTsii in trade catalogues. The distinctions 

 wliii'li l>f( 'imdolle makes are technical. The main ones 

 are that P. arifolia has a short stem and catkins much 

 longer than the Ivs., while P. Sanilerxii has no stem and 

 the catkins are about as long as the Ivs. In some collec- 

 tions is a plant known as Peperomia crassifoUa, a name 

 that does not appear in botanical monographs. It is a 

 very distinct species with dark green, ovate, fleshy Ivs. 3 

 X 5 inches, becoming very hard when old ; stems branched 

 and upright in habit, afoot in height: fls. in insignificant 

 catkins. It is a very good species and deserves to be 

 more generally known. It is not in the trade, at least 

 not under this name. 



The names of Peperomias are much confused, partly 

 owing to the vast size of the genus, which always in- 

 creases the dif&culties 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. The latest monograph is in Latin. DC. Prod. 

 l(j, part 1, 392^68 (1869). For important criticisms on 

 the key characters used by DeCandolle, see Hillebrand's 

 ■"Flora of the Hawaiian Islands." w. M. 



Peperomias are very attractive little plants, and their 

 fleshy leaves enable them to endure the dry air of a liv- 



ing room iiiuili licttci- than the great majority of plants. 

 While til' \ an- i^^.iiiially warmhouse plants, they will 

 endure a .■.Mplli..ii.-r irtnptTature for weeks without any 

 apparent harm. They need shade in summer, but none 

 in winter, and require less water than *he general run of 

 warmhouse subjects. Never keep them too wet. A 

 loose, lumpy soil with a mixture of broken charcoal suits 

 them well. A pan 3 or 4 in. deep is better for them than 

 a deep pot. They are easily prop, in .sand or sandy soil 

 in a bottonn heat of 75°, either by the leaf, as with 

 Begonia Hex, or with an inch of stem attached. Early 

 spring is the best time to propagate. P. pubifoUa is 

 well adapted for a hanging basket. P. maculosa makes 

 a fine subject for a pau. These, together with P. art- 

 folia, var. arqiireia, and P. martnorafa, are the best 

 kinds for the tlurist. Wm. Soott. 



INDEX. 



argyrea, 1. maculosa. 4. prostrata, 8, 9. 



argyreiii. 1. inagnolicefolia, 3, pubifolia, 10. 



arifolia. 1. marmorata, 6. Sandersii, 1. 



breWpes, 0. nietaUica. 5. tithymaloides. 3. 



latifoiia, 7. uummularifolia, 8. Verschaffeltii, 2. 



A. Plants for pots or pans. 

 B. Lfs. alteruute. 



c. Stems short or wanting. 

 D. Foliaye variegated. 



E. Jyase of Ivs. rounded, 



not cut 1. ariJolla 



EE. Base of Ivs. heart- 

 shaped 2. Verschaffeltii 



EEE. Base of Ivs. acute 3. tithymaloides 



DD. Foliage not variegated . . 4. maculosa 

 CC. Stents numerous, long, slen- 

 der Ti. metallica 



BB. Jjvs. op/xisi/,- or III irhorts. 



C. Basr i.f Irs. Willi J round- 

 ish. orirlii/ijiiiHj lobis... C. marmorata 



CC. Base of Irs. acute 7. latifoiia 



AA. Plants for hanging baskets. 



B. Lvs. roundish 8. nummularifolia 



I), brevipes 

 BB Lx s. ovate 10. pubifolia 



1 arifdlia, Miq. (P. argyrea or art/ynea, Hort. P. 

 Sandtisii. CDC). Figs. 1717, 1718. Stemless: Ivs. al- 

 ternate peltate, 5 x 3J^ in.; petioles dark red. 4-8 in. 

 lon^ < ult. only in the form var. argyrSia, Hook., 

 whitb differs from the type in bavini; broad, parallel 

 longitudinal bands of white between the nerves. Brazil. 

 BM 5034. F.S. 23:2438. A.G. 19:17. P.R. 1:G37.- 

 Monocarpic annual or biennial. 



2 Verschaffeltii, Lem. Distinguished from P. mar- 

 in I it I \ y the basal lobes of the Ivs., which do not 

 e\tilq but are separated by a notch as in a typical 

 cord ite leaf. A smaller and more delicate but more 

 branched plant: stem short: stem, branches, petioles 

 and peduncles much longer, translucent and pale rose 

 (not green). Upper Amazon, Brazil. I.H. 10:598. 



3 tithymaloides, A. Dietr. (P. magnollcefdHa, A. 

 Dn ti ) Lvs. alternate, subovate, acutish, 2-3 in. long, 

 bast, acute, more than 9-uerved; nerves subopposite; 

 petiole 1 in. long, keeled beneath: stem rooting below, 

 Santo Domingo. — Monocarpic annual or biennial. 



4 maculdsa. Hook. Lvs. alternate (?) ovate-lanceo- 

 late briKbt shining green, very fleshy; petioles beautl- 

 full> spotted with purple. Santo Domingo. — A good 

 subject tor a pan. Perennial. 



metallica, Lind. & Rod., is distinct from all others 

 hn 1 riliid by its ninuerous slender, tmbranehed 

 stuns l„-li; ill. high and lanceolate lvs. It probably be- 

 lom,s 111 some otlier genus or family. It was int. in 

 1892 before the fls. were known, and there seems to be 

 no subsequent record of fls. Lvs. blackish green, painted 

 white down the middle, red-veined below ; petioles short, 

 reddish brown. Peru. I.H. 39:157. 



G. marmorflta. Hook. Stem short, much-branched, 

 nearly '« in. thick: lvs. opposite, ovate-cordate, deeply 

 2-lobed at the base, the lobes rounded and overlapping. 

 The lvs. are ,3-5 in. x l}4-2?i in., not as broad as P. 

 arifolia and less concave. Not adv., but has been un- 

 necessarily confused with P. arifolia. 



