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Species library › Peperomia › Peperomia viracochana
Terrarium Little published: much of this is inferred from related species

Peperomia viracochana

A small, turf-forming Andean Peperomia from Cusco, Peru, described by Trelease in 1936 from plants at the temple of Viracocha. It has slender, grey-hairy stems 1–2 mm thick, elliptic three-veined leaves about 2–2.5 cm long with a pinkish midrib, and flower spikes about 3 cm long. Almost nothing is published about its ecology, so care is modelled on other high-Andean Peperomias: bright light, cool nights and a dry-ish winter.

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

Where it grows wild

Known from the temple of Viracocha in Cusco. The best-known temple of Viracocha is at Raqchi in the Vilcanota valley, but the type locality is not described in detail in the sources consulted. High-Andean Peperomias of this kind usually grow among rocks, on old walls and on shaded banks, rooting in thin humus in crevices.

No elevation is recorded in the sources consulted. If the type locality is the Raqchi temple, it grows at about 3,400–3,500 m in an inter-Andean valley; this is an inference.

Peru: Cusco

🔒 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.