1272 



PEPEROMIA 



PEPEROMIA 



few plants are better adapted for permanent bordering 

 in tropical houses than Peperomias, their leaves vary- 

 ing so much in depth of colour, in marbling, in the dif- 

 ferent hues of their upper and under 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. 5634 as P. arifolia, var. 

 argyreia. However, DeCandolle thought that this plant 

 was not the true P. arifolia, and he renamed it P. San- 

 dersii ( after Wilson Sanders) , but the name is invariably 

 spelled Saundersii in trade catalogues. The distinctions 

 which DeCandolle makes are technical. The main ones 

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

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

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

 tions is a plant known as Peperomia crassifolia, 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, a foot 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 difficulties of discrimination, and partly to 

 the minuteness of the fls. Moreover, the duration of 

 many kinds is uncertain, while great numbers are 



1718. Catkins of Peperomia arifolia. var. argyreia. 



monocarpic, that is, they flower and fruit once and then 

 die. The latest monograph is in Latin, DC. Prod. 

 16, part 1, 392-468 (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 much better than the great majority of plants. 

 While they are essentially warmhouse plants, they will 

 endure a coolhouse temperature for weeks without any 

 apparent harm. They need shade in summer, but none 

 in winter, and require less water than the 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 bottom 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. pubifolia is 

 well adapted for a hanging basket. P. maculosa makes 

 a fine subject for a pan. These, together with P. ari- 

 folia, var. argyreia, and P. marmorata, are the best 

 kinds for the florist. WM. SCOTT. 



argyrea, 1. 

 argyreia, 1. 

 arifolia, 1. 

 brevipes, 9. 

 latifolia, 7. 



INDEX. 



maculosa, 4. 

 magnolice folia, 3. 

 marmorata, 6. 

 metallica, 5. 

 nummularifolia, 8. 



prostrata, 8, 9. 

 pubifolia, 10. 

 Sandersii, 1. 

 tithymaloides, 3. 

 Verschaffeltii, 2. 



A. Plants for pots or pans. 

 B. Lvs. alternate. 



c. Stems short or wanting. 

 D. Foliage variegated. 

 E. Base of Ivs. rounded, 



not cut 1. arifolia 



EE. Base of Ivs. heart- 

 shaped 2. Verschaffeltii 



EEE. Base of Ivs. acute 3. tithymaloides 



DD. Foliage not variegated . . 4. maculosa 

 CO. Stems numerous, long, slen- 

 der 5. metallica 



BB. Lvs. opposite or in whorls. 

 C. Base of Ivs. with 2 round- 

 ish, overlapping lobes... 6. marmorata 



cc. Base of Ivs. acute 7. latifolia 



AA. Plants for hanging baskets. 



B. Lvs. roundish 8. nummularifolia 



9. brevipes 

 BB. Lvs. ovate 10. pubifolia 



1. arifolia. Miq. (P. argyrea or argyrwa, Hort. P. 

 Sdndersii, C.DC.). Figs. 1717, 1718. Stemless: Ivs. al- 

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

 long. Cult, only in the form var. argyreia, Hook., 

 which differs from the type in having broad, parallel 

 longitudinal bands of white between the nerves. Brazil. 

 B.M. 5634. F.S. 23:2438. A.G. 19:17. F.R. 1:637.- 

 Monocarpic annual or biennial. 



2. Verschaffeltii, Lem. Distinguished from P. mar- 

 morata by the basal lobes of the Ivs., which do not 

 overlap, but are separated by a notch as in a typical 

 cordate 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. 16:598. 



3. tithymaloides, A. Dietr. (P. magnolice folia, A. 

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

 base acute, more than 9-nerved; 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, bright shining green, very fleshy; petioles beauti- 

 fully spotted with purple. Santo Domingo. A good 

 subject for a pan. Perennial. 



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

 here described by its numerous slender, unbranched 

 stems 12-16 in. high and lanceolate Ivs. It probably be- 

 longs in some other 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. 



6. marmorata, Hook. Stem short, much -branched, 

 nearly % in. thick: Ivs. opposite, ovate-cordate, deeply 

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

 The Ivs. are 3-5 in. x l>-2/4 in., not as broad as P. 

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

 necessarily confused with P. arifolia. 



