Felted Peperomia

Description

Peperomia obtusifolia, the baby rubberplant or pepper face, is a species of flowering plant in the family Piperaceae, native to Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean. The specific epithet obtusifolia means "blunt-leaved". The plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. It is an evergreen perennial growing to 25 cm (10 in) tall and broad, with cupped leathery leaves and narrow spikes of white flowers up to 12 cm (5 in) long, which grow in a shiny, winding manner and constitute the main decorative value of this plant. P. obtusifolia is often confused with Peperomia magnoliifolia, and some earlier botanists considered these two names merely synonyms for the same species. As dried specimens the plants can look highly similar, although the difference can be seen more easily with living plants: P. obtusifolia leaves are waxy while P. mangoliifolia leaves are considered fleshy. But because of the confusion plants in collections or being sold might continue to be falsely labelled.