A pampered peperomia
I’ve been a fan of succulents for 70 years. At the top of that list: peperomias. At the top of that list: this one. (There’s another one that ties for first place. I’ll tell you about it another time.)
This one is called Parallel Peperomia because of the conspicuous stripes on its leaves. Botanically it was assigned the scientific name Peperomia tetragona by two Spanish botanists sent to explore South America. They were Ruiz and Pavon, and that was way back in 1798.
Another botanist named Trelease found a similar plant in 1936 and assigned it the name P. puteolata. That was how I knew this plant, but in doing my research for this story, I found that taxonomists put their heads together in 2006 and decided the two plants were one and the same, so the older name was given precedence, and the plant is now officially Peperomia tetragona. It’s good that that mystery is solved.
The plant is native to a fairly wide range of South America, including Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, and central and southern Brazil. It’s listed as an epiphyte (grows on tree trunks) and lithophyte (grows on rocks).
I didn’t find any reference to when the plant was first brought into the nursery trade. There are drawings of it dating back into the late 1700s, but no mention of it in nursery catalogs for many decades.
What I do know is how I got my plant. It was 35 years ago. I was visiting with my friend the late Ralph Pinkus, founder of North Haven Gardens of Dallas and the best “plant man” I’ve ever known. We were talking about unusual plants, and I told him about my lifelong love of peperomias. He showed me this one. This specific one. This plant. He lifted it up off the greenhouse bench and handed it to me with a smile.
This plant is my prize. It goes into the greenhouse every winter. It sits on our porch each summer so I can enjoy it 10 times a day. I keep it on the dry side. I’ve repotted it several times, but I don’t encourage it to grow rapidly. I love it just the way it is.
This is going to be the year that I’ll propagate a few new plants from it. Peperomias are insanely easy from short stem cuttings. I’ll take 10 or 12 and stick them into a 4-in. pot filled with very loose, well-draining potting soil to which I’ve added maybe 20 percent expanded shale for perfect aeration. I’ll be able that way to keep them moist without their being wet.
When they’re rooted, I’ll just repot the entire bunch of them into a larger single pot and let them start sprawling. I’ll grow that pot in our house on a bright windowsill. They can handle the light, and they love “people temperatures” (between 60 and 80). They need to be indoors if temperatures are going to drop colder than 40F. No direct sunlight if you have them outside during the growing season. I fertilize my plant sparingly – monthly with a diluted high-nitrogen, water-soluble plant food.
As for where you can find this plant, maybe it will show up in the cactus and succulent collections at a garden center near you. Or a Cactus and Succulent Society area show and sale might have it.
However, I did find 10 or 15 nice plants on Etsy. If you buy from a reputable vendor there, and if you buy while the weather is still warm, there should be no reason to fear that way of getting it. (I also found several other peperomias I’ll need to try!)
My goal is always to promote local independent retail nurseries. I normally don’t promote plants that are this far off the beaten path. This one, however, has a special spot in my heart and I had to sing its song for you here.
Hope you find one! Happy growing it!