Peperomia caperata ‘Amazonas’

A dark-green form of Peperomia caperata

Peperomia caperata ‘Amazonas’ is a cultivated selection of a species native to wet tropical vegetation in south-eastern Brazil.

The cultivar retains the species’ compact rosette and deeply folded foliage, expressed in a particularly dark green palette.

Care for Peperomia caperata ‘Amazonas’

The dense mound can hide damp areas where the leaf stalks meet the plant. Water below the leaves, remove fallen material and leave some open space around the centre.

• Watering: Let the surface dry, then lift the pot. Water the whole mix once it has clearly lost weight, let all excess water drain immediately and water less often during cool, dull weather.
• Light: Bright soft light from the side or above supports a close, even mound. Insufficient light makes the leaf stalks longer and the centre more open.
• Potting mix: Use fine bark, coco fibre and perlite or pumice in a snug pot. Renew the mix if it starts staying wet noticeably longer.

Keep the plant at 18–27 °C, away from cold draughts and direct heater flow. Feed lightly only while the mound is producing new leaves, and pause during slower growth.

Repot only when roots fill the pot.

Use the pot-weight method in our houseplant watering guide when the dense ‘Amazonas’ canopy makes the surface difficult to see.

Troubleshooting Peperomia caperata ‘Amazonas’

• The dark mound is becoming loose: Low light can lengthen the leaf stalks and open the centre. Move the plant gradually into brighter filtered light and turn the pot regularly for even exposure.
• Leaves are yellowing from the centre: The small root ball may be staying wet. Inspect for dark soft roots, remove decay and use a replacement mix that dries more readily.
• Grey mould is forming in the deep folds: Wet foliage and still air can allow fungal growth on damaged tissue. Remove affected leaves, keep future water below the foliage and leave more space around the mound.
• Raised blisters are becoming corky: Frequent watering in cool conditions can cause oedema. Let the pot dry further and stabilise the temperature before watering again.
• Mealybugs are hidden among the dark leaf bases: Isolate the plant, inspect every junction and clean visible colonies. Recheck weekly because the dense canopy can hide young insects.

Peperomia caperata ‘Amazonas’ is non-toxic to people and pets

• This plant is non-toxic to people, cats and dogs.
• Chewing a large amount can still cause an upset stomach.
• If a large amount is eaten and symptoms continue, contact a veterinarian or medical professional.

Who first published Peperomia caperata, and what does the name mean?

Peperomia combines Greek peperi, “pepper”, with homoios, “resembling”, and means “pepper-like”. Caperata comes from the Latin caperatus, meaning wrinkled or corrugated, and refers to the deeply folded leaf surface.

Hipólito Ruiz López and José Antonio Pavon established the genus Peperomia in 1794 in Flora Peruvianae et Chilensis Prodromus, page 8.

Truman George Yuncker first described Peperomia caperata in 1958 in Kew Bulletin, volume 12, page 421.