Peperomia crotalophora
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| Peperomia crotalophora | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Piperales |
| Family: | Piperaceae |
| Genus: | Peperomia |
| Species: | P. crotalophora |
| Binomial name | |
| Peperomia crotalophora | |
| Synonyms | |
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Peperomia crotalophora is a species of epiphyte in the genus Peperomia that is endemic in Colombia & Peru.[1][2] It grows on wet tropical biomes.[1] Its conservation status is Not Threatened.[3]
The type specimen were collected near Hacienda Schunke, Peru at an altitude of 1200 meters.[4]
Peperomia crotalophora is a moderately tall, procumbent, glabrous herb that dries to a green color. The somewhat slender stem is 2–3 mm thick with elongated internodes. The alternate leaves are rounded-ovate to almost triangular-ovate, acute or occasionally obtuse or shortly acuminate, and medium-sized (5.5–6.5 cm long, 4.5 cm wide). They have multiple pinnate nerves: 4 basal nerves and 2 additional pairs arising from the lower quarter of the midrib. The petiole ranges from 3 cm to as long as 10 cm. The terminal spikes are solitary, terminating 2 cm long, single-bracteate peduncles. They are 50–70 mm long and 1 mm thick, with flowers tightly arranged in whorls. The whorls of large anthers are densely clustered and very conspicuous in the young state. The round-peltate bracts are obscure and arranged in pseudowhorls of about 12.[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 James Francis Macbride.[5] It got its epithet from the Greek wikt:krotalon + wikt:phoros, meaning "rattle-bearing", referring to the rattle-like appearance of the densely whorled flowers with their conspicuous anthers. [4]