Code
PEOPE
Growth form
Broadleaf
Biological cycle
Annual / Vivacious
Habitat
Terrestrial
Peperomia pellucida (L.) Kunth
synonym | Micropiper exiguum (Bl.) Miq. |
synonym | Micropiper pellucidum (L.) Miq. |
synonym | Micropiper tenellum Klotzsch ex Miq. |
synonym | Peperomia concinna (Haworth) A. Dietrich |
synonym | Peperomia ephemera Ekman |
synonym | Peperomia exigua (Bl.) Miq. |
synonym | Peperomia exigua var. freireifolia (A.Rich.) C. DC. |
synonym | Peperomia freireifolia (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) A. Rich. |
synonym | Peperomia hymenophylla Miq. |
synonym | Peperomia knoblecheriana Schott |
synonym | Peperomia nana C. DC. |
synonym | Peperomia oleracea Poepp. ex Miq. |
synonym | Peperomia pellucida var. baileyana Trel. |
synonym | Peperomia pellucida var. minor Miq. |
synonym | Peperomia pellucida var. pygmaea Miq. |
synonym | Peperomia tenuiflora Opiz |
synonym | Peperomia translucens Trel. |
synonym | Peperomia triadophylla Peter |
synonym | Peperomia vogelii Miq. |
synonym | Peperomia yapensis C. DC. |
synonym | Piper concinnum Haw. |
synonym | Piper exiguum Bl. |
synonym | Piper freireifolia Hochst. ex A. Rich. |
synonym | Piper freirifolium Hochst. ex A. Rich. |
synonym | Piper hyalinum Wall. |
synonym | Piper pellucidum L. |
synonym | Piper scandens Poepp. ex Miq. |
synonym | Piper tenuiflorum (Opiz) D. Dietr. |
synonym | Verhuellia knoblecheriana C. DC. |
Creoles and pidgins, English based |
|
Creoles and pidgins; |
|
Creoles and pidgins; French-based |
|
English |
|
French |
|
Portuguese |
|
Global description
Peperomia pellucida is an annual to vivacious plant with upright or prostrate growth habit. It measures 20 cm to 40 cm in height. Stems and leaves are green, shiny and slightly fleshy and hairless. The leaves are broadly cordate at the base and acuminate at the top. The inflorescence is a thick green erect terminal spike with small white or black balls when mature. The numerous drooping stems allow vegetative propagation by rooting at the nodes.
Cotyledons
The cotyledons are circular, 3 mm in diameter, carried by a short petiole (1.5 mm). They are fleshy and bright green in colour.
First leaves
The first leaves are simple, alternate, borne by a short petiole. The blade is sub-circular to broadly ovate, 15 to 20 mm in diameter with a broad wedge-shaped apex and rounded base. It is fleshy, shiny green in colour and completely hairless, with no visible veins.
General habit
Small upright and then decumbent plant with upright axes. It measures 20 to 40 cm in height.
Underground system
The roots are fibrous.
Stem
The stem is solid of polygonal section and glabrous. It is slightly fleshy, shiny green and slightly translucent. It roots easily at the nodes in contact with the ground.
Leaves
The leaves are simple, usually alternate, sometimes opposite, in which case the opposite leaves are of different sizes. They are shiny green, fleshy and completely hairless. The leaf is carried by a short cylindrical to polygonal petiole 1 to 2 cm long. The shape of the blade is largely oval. The base is usually broadly cordate, sometimes widely rounded or slightly peltate (the petiole is inserted a few millimetres from the margin at the base of the leaf blade) and the apex is obtuse, acute to acuminate. The margin of the leaf blade is entire. The leaf blade is 1 to 5.5 cm long, and about as wide as it is long. The leaf venation is webbed with 5 - 7 veins.
Inflorescence
The inflorescence is a spike in terminal position or opposite to the leaves, slender with a fleshy axis, 1 to 6 cm long, bearing many small white flowers.
Flower
The flowers are arranged all around and along the spike but clearly separated from each other, they are bisexual, short-stalked. Absent perianth replaced by suborbicular bracts 0.5 mm in diameter. Stamens are short-necked and anthers subglobose. Ovary ellipsoid with pubescent stigma.
Fruit
The fruit is a small, globular nutlet, 1 mm in diameter, subsessile, containing a single seed. It turns black when ripe.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
French Guiana: In cultivated areas, particularly in vegetable greenhouses, the growth of Peperomia pellucida is very rapid and inflorescences can appear after 30 to 40 days.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Peperomia pellucida is an annual to vivacious plant that usually reproduces seeds. The plant can also multiply vegetatively through these dragging branches that easily root at nodes in contact with the soil.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Peperomia pellucida grows in wetlands. It is generally found below 1000 m in altitude but can reach 2500 m.
China: Humid places in forests, rock crevices, cliff bases, sometimes a crop weed; from sea level to 200 m above sea level.
West Indies: Peperomia pellucida is a typical plant of shady and humid environments. It grows on various types of soil in cultivated fields, gardens, urban environments (roadsides, gutters...) up to 800 m of elevation.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Origin
Peperomia pellucida is native to the tropical regions of America, Africa and Madagascar.
Worldwide distribution
Today, this species is widely distributed in all tropical and subtropical areas of the world.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Local harmfulness
French Guiana: Peperomia pellucida is a weed mainly present in vegetable crops on loose soils rich enough in organic matter, especially in greenhouses where humidity remains constant during the dry season. Its root system makes it easy to pull it out, so its manual uprooting is fairly easy and effective.
West Indies: Peperomia pellucida is a common weed in irrigated crops and wetlands. It is not very harmful, rarely abundant and controlled by all weed control techniques. It does not compete well with other plants and gradually disappears in plots that are regularly weeded mechanically.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Food: Peperomia pellucida is eaten fresh as a salad in French Guiana.
Medicinal: Numerous pharmacological uses are referenced.
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
- https://www.prota4u.org/database/protav8.asp?fr=1&g=pe&p=Peperomia+pellucida+(L.)+Kunth
- Grossard, F., Le Bourgeois, T., Dumbardon-Martial, E. & Gervais, L. 2013. Adventilles - Guadeloupe & Martinique - Les adventices des Antilles françaises. Abymes, Guadeloupe, France, Les éditions du CTCS Guadeloupe. 195 p.
- https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:679378-1
- Berton, A. (2020). Flore spontanée des cultures maraichères et fruitières de Guyane. Guide de reconnaissance des 140 adventices les plus communes des parcelles cultivées. Cayenne, Guyane, FREDON Guyane: 186.https://portal.wiktrop.org/document/show/173
- Fournet, J. 2002. Flore illustrée des phanérogames de Guadeloupe et de Martinique. Montpellier, France, Cirad, Gondwana éditions.
- https://www.prota4u.org/database/protav8.asp?fr=1&g=pe&p=Peperomia+pellucida+(L.)+Kunth
- Grossard, F., Le Bourgeois, T., Dumbardon-Martial, E. & Gervais, L. 2013. Adventilles - Guadeloupe & Martinique - Les adventices des Antilles françaises. Abymes, Guadeloupe, France, Les éditions du CTCS Guadeloupe. 195 p.
- https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:679378-1
- Berton, A. (2020). Flore spontanée des cultures maraichères et fruitières de Guyane. Guide de reconnaissance des 140 adventices les plus communes des parcelles cultivées. Cayenne, Guyane, FREDON Guyane: 186.https://portal.wiktrop.org/document/show/173
- Fournet, J. 2002. Flore illustrée des phanérogames de Guadeloupe et de Martinique. Montpellier, France, Cirad, Gondwana éditions.
Herbarium pictures from ReCOLNAT: https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Peperomia%2520pellucida
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Root | Root |
Kingdom | Plantae |
Phylum | Tracheophyta |
Class | Magnoliopsida |
Order | Piperales |
Family | Piperaceae |
Genus | Peperomia |
Species | Peperomia pellucida (L.) Kunth |