58 
PEPEROMIA RUBELLA. 
Red-stalked Peperomia. 
HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA._Nat. Ord. PIPERACEJE, Hvmh. et Kunth.^ 
PiPERETEEs, De Cand. — Urticis affinis, Juss. 
Gen. Char. — Spadix cylindraceus, floribus undique tectus. Stamina duo. 
Stigma indivisum. Bacca monosperma. Caulis herbaceus. — Humb. et 
Kunth. 
Peperomia rubella; pubescens, caule subdifFuso valde ramoso terete, fo- 
His subquaternis lato-ellipticis carnosis subtus convexis discoloribus, 
spadicibus terminalibus axillaribusque subsolitariis. 
Piper rubellum. Haw. in Revis. PL Succ. p. 3. 
Stems diffuse, and often throwing out runners at the base, cylindrical, red 
throughout, jointed, smooth, or only furnished with a very slight pu- 
bescence, sending forth roots from the lower joints. Leaves quaternate, 
occasionally quinate, or, from injury, only binate; broadly elliptical, very- 
fleshy, plane above, and dark green, very convex beneath, and red even 
to the uppermost ones, pubescent ; their general shape not unlike the 
fronds of Lemna gibba : in the older leaves the upper surface is of one 
uniform green color, but in the younger ones there are three pale nerves, 
one central and two marginal, whence branch out almost at right angles 
several small veins, forming a beautifully reticulated appearance ; petiole 
very short, red, pubescent. 
Spadices of flowers single, or two or three together at the extremity of the 
stems, or solitary at the axils of the superior leaves, about an inch long, 
slender, cylindrical, borne upon very short footstalks, pale green. Scales 
rather closely placed. Anthers 2, almost sessile, round. 
A very elegant little species, particularly so when its shoots 
put forth their new leaves, which are beautifully reticulated 
with yellowish lines, an appearance that almost wholly disap- 
pears with age. 
Our plants were received at the Glasgow Botanic Garden 
from the West Indies. None of the numerous species of 
VOL. I. 
