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cypress peperomia

baby rubberplant

Habit Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous, erect, decumbent, or reclining, simple or branched, 8-45 cm, mostly glabrous, with numerous black, glandular dots. Herbs, perennial, rhizomatous, erect, decumbent, reclining, or somewhat scandent, simple or sparsely branched, 8-40 cm, mostly glabrous, without black, glandular dots.
Leaves

blade 3-5-veined from base, ovate to narrowly or broadly elliptic, 2-6.5 × 1-4 cm, base nearly rounded to broadly cuneate, apex acute to short-acuminate;

surfaces mostly glabrous.

blade highly variable in size and shape, prominently to obscurely pinnately veined, elliptic, broadly elliptic, or spatulate to ovate, obovate, or very broadly ovate or broadly obovate, 2.2-13 × 1.5-5.5 cm, lateral veins arching-ascending, originating from base to about middle of blade, base attenuate, mostly narrowly to broadly cuneate, rarely slightly acuminate, apex obtuse, rounded, retuse, or notched;

surfaces mostly glabrous.

Spikes

terminal or terminal and axillary, 1-4, densely flowered, 3-13 cm, mature fruiting spikes 2-3 mm diam.

mostly terminal, 1-2, densely flowered, 5.5-23 cm;

peduncle with microscopic, spiculelike hairs, mature fruiting spikes 3.5-5.5 mm diam.

Fruits

sessile, very broadly ovoid to globose, 0.7-0.8 × 0.6-0.7 mm, warty;

beak obliquely conic, 0.1-0.2 mm.

sessile, ellipsoid, both ends rounded, 0.8-1.1 × 0.4-0.5 mm, faintly longitudinally striate;

beak elongate, 0.5-0.7 mm, filiform above narrowly to broadly conic base, straight or S-shaped, abruptly hooked near apex.

Peperomia glabella

Peperomia obtusifolia

Phenology Flowering all year. Flowering all year.
Habitat Epiphytic or terrestrial Hummocks, epiphytic or terrestrial on rotten logs and humus
Elevation 0-20 m (0-100 ft) 0-20 m (0-100 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; West Indies; n South America
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; Mexico; West Indies; n South America
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 3. FNA vol. 3.
Parent taxa Piperaceae > Peperomia Piperaceae > Peperomia
Sibling taxa
P. alata, P. amplexicaulis, P. humilis, P. magnoliifolia, P. obtusifolia, P. pellucida
P. alata, P. amplexicaulis, P. glabella, P. humilis, P. magnoliifolia, P. pellucida
Synonyms Piper glabellum Piper obtusifolium, P. floridana, Rhynchophorum floridanum, Rhynchophorum obtusifolium
Name authority (Swartz) A. Dietrich: Sp. Pl. 1: 156. (1831) (Linnaeus) A. Dietrich: Sp. Pl. 1: 154. (1831)
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