Peperomia delascioi
Content
Description
Terrestrial herb, non-creeping, suberect or ascending up to 9 cm, not rooting at nodes. Stem minutely hirtellous (spreading hairs 0.1 mm long); upper internodes 4-10 mm long. Uppermost leaves opposite, the others alternate; petiole 0.3-0.8 cm long, minutely hirtellous; blade basely attached or slightly peltate, fleshy-membranous, oblately suborbicular, 0.5-0.8 x 0.5-1 cm, margin not ciliate, apex emarginate with some hairs at notch, base rounded or subtruncate, glabrous above, minutely hirtellous at base below; palmately 3-5-veined. Inflorescence terminal opposite the uppermost leaves, erect, solitary; peduncle 0.3-0.5(-2) cm long, minutely hirtellous, without bracts; spike with scattered flowers, 0.6-3 cm long; floral bracts rounded, umbonate with pale margin, 0.3 mm in diam.; rachis glabrous. Fruits stipitate pale brown, smooth, oblong-ellipsoid, 1-1.1 x 0.5 mm, crowned with a persistent, conic style, stigma apical, mammiform.
Distribution
Guyana present, Guyana — Venezuela border present, Mazaruni-Potaro region, Roraima summit, La Proa camp near lake Gladys present
Known only from altitudes above 2000 m at the Guyana — Venezuela border; 1 collection studied of Guyana: Mazaruni-Potaro region, Roraima summit, La Proa camp near lake Gladys, Liesner 23288 (U) (GU: 1).
Notes
According to Steyermark, Peperomia delascioi can be distinguished from P. emarginella which also has an emarginate leaf apex and orbicular leaves by the following characters: Peperomia delascioi is suberect to ascending, has hirtellous stems, petioles and peduncles and non-ciliate leaves. From P. rotundifolia, it can be distinguished by the stipitate fruit with mammiform apex and by the non-creeping, not rooting habit. Peperomia delascioi is known only from cool summits in dwarf shrub and herbaceous vegetation at altitudes from 2400-2800 m, whereas P. rotundifolia prefers warm, humid forest from near sea level to 1000 m.