Peperomia quadrangularis
Content
Description
Epiphytic or epilithic herb, creeping or hanging, sometimes mat-forming. Stem quadrangular, minutely pubescent, internodes 2-6 cm long, green brownish or reddish. Leaves opposite, basely attached; petiole 0.1-0.5 cm long, glabrous or minutely pubescent; blade fleshy coriaceous, broadly elliptic, obovate or orbicular, 1-4.5 x 0.8-2.2(-2.7) cm, margin ciliate, apex obtuse, rounded or slightly acute, base acute to rounded, dark green above, with paler veins beneath, minutely puberulent above, sparsely so and glabrescent beneath; palmately 3-veined, veins impressed above, prominent beneath. Inflorescence erect, solitary or two together, axillary or occasionally terminal; peduncle not slender, 0.5-4 cm long, pubescent, 2-bracteate, red, brownish or green; spike up to 6 cm long, green or yellow-green, laxly to moderately flowered; floral bracts rounded or oblong, glabrous, glandular; rachis strongly ridged (at least when dried). Fruits somewhat sunken when young, slightly stipitate when ripe, ovoid, smooth and shiny (in vivo) brown, upper half often grayish, verruculose or papillate, with apical stigma.
Distribution
Southern America: Panamá (Panamá present), northern S America present
West Indies, Panama and northern S America; over 50 collections studied (GU: 34; SU: 15; FG: 4).
Notes
Collections from adjacent Brazil (Pará) had been identified Peperomia muscosa Link. There seem to be no significant differences with P. quadrangularis. Yuncker (Hoehnea 4: 139. 1974) already suggested that the two may belong to one species. After having seen the variation in leaf shape and studied the types of P. muscosa and P. quadrangularis, G. Mathieu and I are convinced that the two are conspecific.
Peperomia quadrangularis could be mistaken for P. maguirei. For the differences see under the latter.
Peperomia quadrangularis could be mistaken for P. maguirei. For the differences see under the latter.