Peperomia crassulicaulis
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| Peperomia crassulicaulis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Piperales |
| Family: | Piperaceae |
| Genus: | Peperomia |
| Species: | P. crassulicaulis |
| Binomial name | |
| Peperomia crassulicaulis | |
Peperomia crassulicaulis is a species of epiphyte in the genus Peperomia that is endemic in Peru.[1][2] It grows on wet tropical biomes.[1] Its conservation status is Threatened.[3]
The type specimen were collected near Carpapata, Peru, at an altitude of 2,400 meters (7,900 ft).[4]
Peperomia crassulicaulis is a glabrous, succulent, somewhat shrubby plant. Its erect stems are 3–4 mm thick, sparsely branched above, but arise in large numbers from a thick (up to 2 cm) yellowish base, with short internodes. The leaves are in whorls of 6 at the nodes. They are elliptical, with a slightly notched tip and an acute base, measuring 10 mm long and 4–5 mm wide. When dry, they are hard, somewhat revolute, opaque with obscure venation, and have a minutely granular underside. The petiole is 2 mm long. The terminal spikes are 140 mm long and 4 mm thick, with loosely inserted flowers, and are borne on a 15 mm peduncle. The flowers are immersed in small pits on the rachis. The ovary is ovoid with an oblique stigma.[4]
Taxonomy and naming
It was described in 1936 by William Trelease in Publications of the Field Museum of Natural History, Botanical Series 13, from specimens collected by Ellsworth Paine Killip & Dorothea Eliza Smith. It got its epithet from the resemblance to plants in the family Crassulaceae. [4]