Peperomia ciliatifolia

Peperomia ciliatifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Piperales
Family: Piperaceae
Genus: Peperomia
Species:
P. ciliatifolia
Binomial name
Peperomia ciliatifolia

Peperomia ciliatifolia 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]

Description

The type specimen were collected near Balsapuerto, Peru at an altitude of 150-350 meters.[4]

Peperomia ciliatifolia is a pendulous, tree-dwelling herb that is mostly glabrous except for its leaves, which are sparsely pilose and have a distinctive, stiff ciliate margin. The slender stem is about 2 mm thick. The alternate leaves are elliptic, with an acutely acuminate tip and a rounded to somewhat acute base. They are large, reaching 11 cm in length and 5 cm in width, with a few pairs of pinnate nerves below the middle. When dry, the leaves are thin and translucent. The petiole is barely 10 mm long. The spikes are sympodial, borne in pairs, slender, and up to 150 mm long, with a peduncle scarcely 5 mm long. The berries are oblong to somewhat conical, obliquely truncated by the apical stigma, which is borne on a scutellum.[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.[5] It got its name from the description of the type specimen. [4]

Subtaxa

Following subtaxa are accepted.[2][5]

  • Peperomia ciliatifolia var. eciliatifolia Trel.
  • Peperomia ciliatifolia var. iquitosana Trel.
  • Peperomia ciliatifolia var. santarosana Trel.

Distribution and habitat

It is endemic in Peru.[2] It grows on a epiphyte environment and is a herb.[1][4] It grows on wet tropical biomes.[1]

Conservation

This species is assessed as Threatened, in a preliminary report.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Peperomia ciliatifolia Trel". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b c "Peperomia ciliatifolia Trel". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  3. ^ a b Bachman, Steven P.; Brown, Matilda J. M.; Leão, Tarciso C. C.; Lughadha, Eimear Nic; Walker, Barnaby E. (2024). "Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation". New Phytologist. 242 (2): 797–808. doi:10.1111/nph.19592. PMID 38437880.
  4. ^ a b c d Trelease, William. "Publications of the Field Museum of Natural History, Botanical Series 13(357): 30. 1936". Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Bot. Ser. 13(357): 30.
  5. ^ a b "Peperomia ciliatifolia Trel". Tropicos. Retrieved 13 March 2026.