Watermelon Peperomia is a tropical evergreen herbaceous shrub that has an erect and bushy habit and is native to South America. It is a member of the Piperaceae or pepper family. The plant grows up to 8 inches tall and can be used as a houseplant in temperate climates. The decorative, watermelon-striped, waxy leaves and cream-colored, spiked inflorescence add interest to this plant. The leaf attachment is a rare true peltate. It is named Watermelon Peperomia because its leaves resemble the rind of a watermelon. This plant prefers bright indirect sunlight. It is intolerant of wet soil, very dry soil, and cold drafts. Over-watering will cause root rot and under-watering will cause the plant to wilt. Allow the soil to dry to the touch at the top before watering and reduce watering in the winter months. They will not need to be repotted often as they thrive being pot-bound. This houseplant is not toxic to cats or dogs. The plant tends to be small and looks better in groupings of plants with similar cultural needs. This plant is used as a specimen or as a desktop plant. Quick ID Hints: Leaves are smooth and striped like a watermelon Petioles and stems are red Inflorescences are numerous creamy spikes Leaf attachment is peltate Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: This plant has no serious pest or disease problems. They are susceptible to typical houseplant pests such as mealybugs, scale, and aphids. Root rot can quickly occur from overwatering. More information on Peperomia .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
Less than 12 inches
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
5 - Groundcover
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Leaf color
Gray/Silver; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Fleshy; Waxy
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves are broadly ovate, acute, rotund, entire, concave, silver-gray above with dark stripes along main veins, waxy, peltate, green in color, and have a showy mixture of silver and white stripes. Petioles grow up to 5 inches and are red.
Flower color
Cream/Tan; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Spike
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Flowers are white-cream in color and minute. Flowers have 2 stamens and no perianths. Inflorescence is an erect spike (spadix), axillary, and 2-4 inches in size.
Fruit detail
Insignificant, green, appear on stalks in the summer
Stem color
Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Stems are non-woody, erect, unbranched, and dark red in color.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
Brazil
Distribution
Native: Brazil Northeast, Brazil Southeast; Introduced: Ecuador, and Venezuela
Play value
Easy to Grow
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Houseplants
Design feature
Accent; Specimen
Garden tags
#houseplant #interiorscape #showy leaves #cream flowers #white flowers #fantz #evergreen #tropical feel #non-toxic for cats #non-toxic for horses #non-toxic for dogs #herbaceous perennial