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Peperomia tetraphylla

(Acorn Peperomia)

Overview

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Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Acorn Peperomia, Four-Leaf Peperomia

Description

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Family Piperaceae

Herbs, shrubs , or climbers , rarely trees , usually aromatic . Vascular bundles ± scattered in transverse section in a monocotyledonlike manner. Tip of stem sometimes enclosed within a stipulelike sheath , the prophyll, sometimes adnate to petiole , absent in Peperomia. Leaves alternate, often opposite or whorled in Peperomia, simple , base often asymmetric , palmately or pinnately veined. Inflorescence a pedunculate spike, rarely grouped into an umbel, rarely a raceme (in Zippelia), leaf-opposed or axillary , rarely terminal . Flowers small, bisexual , hermaphroditic , polygamous or dioecious, nearly always sessile; bracts small, usually peltate or cupular, usually without perianth. Stamens 1-10; filaments usually free ; anthers 2-locular, distinct or connate , longitudinally dehiscent . Gynoecium 2-5-carpellate, connate; ovary superior, 1-locular, ovule 1, orthotropous ; stigmas 1-5, sessile or with very short styles. Fruit a small drupe or nutlet ; pericarp fleshy , thin or dry, sometimes with sticky papillae (in Peperomia) or glochidiate spines (in Zippelia) . Seeds with copious starchy perisperm and a minute embryo embedded in small endosperm.

About eight or nine genera and 2000-3000 species: tropical and subtropical regions, mostly in North and South America, rather fewer in Asia, a few in Africa; three genera and 68 species (36 endemic, four introduced ) in China.[1]

Genus Peperomia

Herbs, annual or perennial , erect , decumbent , or prostrate , terrestrial or epiphytic, glabrous or pubescent , sometimes glandular-dotted. Leaves alternate, opposite, or whorled , glabrous or pubescent, or glandular . Leaf blade conspicuously or inconspicuously veined, lateral veins ascending-arching, or inconspicuous, tertiary veins apparently absent or very faint. Spikes terminal , terminal and axillary , or opposite leaves, densely to loosely flowered. Flowers sessile, borne on surface or in pitlike depressions of rachis, floral bracts glabrous or glandular-dotted; stamens 2, attached at base of ovary; stigma 1, sometimes cleft . Fruits sessile or stipitate , globose , ovoid , oblong , or pyriform , surface warty, minutely reticulate , or faintly striate , ± viscid ; beak mammiform or elongate , straight, bent, or hooked .

Species ca. 1000: mostly tropical and subtropical worldwide, especially tropical America and s Asia.

Many species of Peperomia are used as houseplants, greenhouse plants , and, in warm regions, garden plants.[2]

Physical Description

Species Peperomia tetraphylla

Herbs perennial , fleshy , forming clumps , usually glabrous except for rachis and bases of bracts. Stolons present. Stems many branched, 10-30 cm, internodes thickly ridged . Leaves dense, ± uniform in size; petiole 1-2 mm, glabrous or pubescent ; leaf blade broadly elliptic or suborbicular , 0.9-1.2 cm × 5-9 mm, fleshy, pale and usually wrinkled when dried, pellucid dotted , glabrous or sparsely pubescent, rarely densely pubescent, base and apex rounded , slightly revolute ; veins 3, slender, usually inconspicuous. Spike terminal and axillary , solitary, 2-4.5 cm; peduncle sparsely pubescent to ± glabrous; bracts suborbicular, stalk short. Filaments short, thecae rounded-"D"-shaped. Ovary ovoid , inserted within excavations of rachis; stigmas capitate, pubescent. Nutlet subovoid, ca. 1 mm. Fl. Feb-Apr, Sep-Dec. [source]

Some plants from Guizhou and S Yunnan are much more densely hairy than the typical form of Peperomia tetraphylla and can be separated as var. sinensis. [source]

Habit: Forb/herb

Habitat

Wet rocks and dead trees , along streams ; 600-3100 m [3].

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 4,028 meters (0 to 13,215 feet).[4]

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Annual

Growth

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Partial shade to full shade.

Taxonomy

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Synonyms

P. reflexa (Linnaeus F.) A. Dietrich F. Sinensis C. De Candolle • P. tetraphylla var. sinensis (C. De Candolle) P. s. Chen & P. C. Zhu • Peperomia parvula Hbd. • Peperomia reflexa (Linnaeus F.) A. Dietrich (1831) • Peperomia tetraphylla var. elongata (Hbd.) O. and I. Deg. • Peperomia tetraphylla var. parvifolia (C. Dc.) O. and I. Deg. • Piper reflexum Linnaeus F. • Piper tetraphyllum G. Forst. • Piper tetraphyllum G. Forster • Prodr. Fl. Ins. Austr. 5: 5. 1786

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Peperomia

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 71 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

P. alata (Winged Peperomia) · P. alternifolia (Alternate-Leaf Peperomia) · P. amplexicaulis (Jackie's Saddle) · P. argyreia (Watermelon Begonia) · P. caperata (Little-Fantasy Pepper) · P. caperata 'Emerald Ripple' (Emerald Ripple Peperomia) · P. caperata 'Metallic Ripple' (Peperomia) · P. caperata 'Red Ripple' (Peperomia) · P. caperata 'Silver Ripple' (Peperomia) · P. clusiifolia (Red Edge Peperomia) · P. clusiifolia 'Jellie' (Red Edge Peperomia) · P. cogniauxii (Yerba De Guava Falso) · P. cookiana (Cook Peperomia) · P. degeneri (Degener's Peperomia) · P. distachya (Montane Peperomia) · P. dolabriformis var. confertifolia (Prayer Pepper) · P. eekana (Mt. Eke Peperomia) · P. ellipticibacca (Koolau Range Peperomia) · P. emarginella (Guadeloupe Peperomia) · P. expallescens (Pacific Peperomia) · P. galapagensis (Galapagos Peperomia) · P. glabella (Cypress Peperomia) · P. globulanthera (Puu Kuhui) · P. graveolens 'Ruby Glow' (Peperomia) · P. griseoargentea (Ivy-Leaf Pepper) · P. hernandiifolia (West Indian Peperomia) · P. hesperomannii (Hesperoman Peperomia) · P. hirta (Mouse Ears) · P. hirtipetiola (Forest Peperomia) · P. humilis (Polynesian Peperomia) · P. hypoleuca (Island Peperomia) · P. kipahuluensis (Royal Peperomia) · P. kokeana (Napali Kona Peperomia) · P. latifolia (Broad-Leaf Peperomia) · P. leptostachya (Aridland Peperomia) · P. ligustrina (Waihee Valley Peperomia) · P. macraeana (Pinninerve Peperomia) · P. maculosa (Spotted Peperomia) · P. magnoliaefolia (Spoonleaf Peperomia) · P. magnoliifolia (Desert Privet) · P. mauiensis (Maui Peperomia) · P. maxonii (Maxon's Peperomia) · P. megalopoda (Puerto Rico Peperomia) · P. membranacea (Gaudichaud's Peperomia) · P. myrtifolia (Myrtleleaf Peperomia) · P. oahuensis (Oahu Peperomia) · P. obovatilimba (Graceful Peperomia) · P. obtusifolia (Baby Rubber Plant) · P. obtusifolia var. cuneata (American Rubberplant) · P. obtusifolia var. obtusifolia (American Rubberplant) · P. obtusifolia var. variegata (Baby Rubber Plant) · P. obtusifolia'Greengold' (Greengold American Rubber Plant) · P. pellucida (Man To Man) · P. pereskiifolia (Peperomia) · P. quadrifolia (Fourleaf Peperomia) · P. remyi (Remy Peperomia) · P. rhombea (Peruvian Peperomia) · P. robustior (Grand Peperomia) · P. rockii (Kahuaha Forest Peperomia) · P. rotundifolia (Yerba Linda) · P. sandwicensis (Singlespike Peperomia) · P. scandens (Peperomia) · P. serpens (Vinagre) · P. simplex (Palegreen Peperomia) · P. sintenisii (Sintenis' Peperomia) · P. subpetiolata (Waikamoi Peperomia) · P. tenella (Jayuya) · P. tetraphylla (Acorn Peperomia) · P. urocarpa (Brazilian Peperomia) · P. wheeleri (Wheeler's Peperomia) · P. yabucoana (Viper Peperomia)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal December 10, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Yung-chien Tseng, Nianhe Xia & Michael G. Gilbert "Piperaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 4 Page 110. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. "Peperomia". in Flora of North America Vol. 3. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. "Peperomia tetraphylla". in Flora of China Vol. 4 Page 129. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  4. Mean = 765.100 meters (2,510.171 feet), Standard Deviation = 903.820 based on 820 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 7/15/2012