Species library › Peperomia › Peperomia rhodophylla
Terrarium Partly documented

Peperomia rhodophylla

A small, extremely succulent Peperomia that grows in rock clefts high in the Andes, known from Pennell's 1925 collections at Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley near Cusco, at about 2900–3100 m. Its leaves come about four to a node, are 16 mm long, blunt and nearly veinless, and the name suggests reddish foliage. It is a high-light, cool, seasonally dry rock plant, not a humid-terrarium species.

At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows on rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

Pennell recorded it in 'wet clefts of rock on open slope', and Trelease called it petrophilous (rock-loving). The slopes above Ollantaytambo carry dry inter-Andean scrub and grassland on rock, with moisture held in crevices.

The type was collected at 2900–3100 m at Ollantaytambo. A companion collection there, noted by Trelease as 'of very different appearance', was also at that height.

Peru: Cusco (Ollantaytambo, Urubamba valley)

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.