Peperomia obtusifolia ‘Lime’

Background of Peperomia obtusifolia ‘Lime’

‘Lime’ is a cultivated form of Peperomia obtusifolia, recognised by its lime-green leaf margins around darker green centres.

The species is native from Florida through tropical America, where it grows in wet tropical habitats both on the ground and on trees. Its thick leaves store water, while the roots are suited to loose organic matter with plenty of air around them.

How to care for Peperomia obtusifolia ‘Lime’

• Light: Choose bright, filtered light to keep the lime border clear and growth compact. After the plant has gradually adjusted to some direct sun, gentle early or late sun is suitable. Keep midday light filtered.
• Water: Let the upper 3–5 cm of potting mix dry and wait until the pot feels noticeably lighter, then water thoroughly and let excess drain.
• Potting mix: Use a loose potting mix that holds some moisture while letting air reach the roots. Houseplant compost mixed with bark and perlite or pumice works well.
• Temperature: Keep it around 18–30 °C. Keep leaves away from cold glass and protect the plant from draughts.
• Humidity: Ordinary indoor humidity is enough. If the air is very dry, raise the humidity around the plant and keep good air movement around the leaves.
• Feeding: Feed lightly with a balanced liquid houseplant fertiliser while new leaves are forming.
• Pruning: Shorten long stems above a node if the plant loses its compact shape.
• Repotting: Repot when the roots are crowded or the mix has compacted, then step up by one small pot size.
• Propagation: To reproduce ‘Lime’, take healthy stem sections that include a node and root them as cuttings.

Problems and solutions for ‘Lime’

• The lime edge becomes dull: Light may be too weak, especially if new stems are also becoming longer and more open. Move it gradually into brighter indirect light.
• Leaf margins turn tan or papery: First check for sun exposure through hot glass. If the light is already gentle, check the potting mix. Long dry spells or fertiliser salt build-up can also make the margins tan.
• White cottony clusters appear: Check stem joints, leaf bases and leaf undersides for mealybugs. Isolate the plant, remove visible insects and use a houseplant treatment labelled for mealybugs, repeating treatment at the interval stated on the label.
• Leaves stay limp: Check the potting mix first. If it is dry, water thoroughly and let excess drain. If the mix is still wet, root damage is more likely. Check the roots. Remove black or mushy tissue with a clean, disinfected tool, cut back to firm healthy tissue and discard the rotten material.
• One shoot grows fully green: This is reversion within that stem. Watch the next few leaves; if several consecutive leaves stay fully green, remove the reverted shoot at its base so the two-tone growth remains balanced.

If you're not sure what is causing the problem, send us clear photos of the whole plant, affected leaves and potting mix. We can help you work out what is happening.

Peperomia obtusifolia ‘Lime’ 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.

Where does the name Peperomia obtusifolia come from?

Peperomia combines Greek peperi, “pepper”, with homoios, “resembling”, and means “pepper-like”. Obtusifolia joins the Latin obtusus, meaning blunt, with folium, meaning leaf.

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

Carl Linnaeus first described it as Piper obtusifolium in 1753 in Species Plantarum, page 30. Albert Gottfried Dietrich later placed it in Peperomia as Peperomia obtusifolia in 1831 in Species Plantarum, sixth edition, volume 1, page 154.