Peperomia prostrata

String of Turtles in the Ecuadorian Wild

Peperomia prostrata is native only to Ecuador. It grows as an epiphyte in wet tropical vegetation, using trees and other plant surfaces for support. String of turtles is the modern common name for the species, inspired by its patterned round leaves. The botanical species was described long before this houseplant name became widespread.

Care for fine String of Turtles stems

• Light: String of turtles needs bright, indirect light to maintain compact growth. Protect the small leaves from strong midday sun near glass.
• Water: Water when the surface has dried and the shallow pot feels lighter. Let the surface dry while a little moisture remains deeper in the shallow root ball.
• Substrate and pot: Use a shallow pot with drainage and a fine, airy blend of houseplant mix, small bark and perlite or pumice. Keep trailing stems on top of the substrate.
• Humidity: Moderate humidity suits the fine stems when combined with steady airflow.
• Feeding: Feed sparingly at low strength while fresh stems are extending. Withhold fertiliser when the trails stop growing.

Solving String of Turtles Problems

• Trails dying where they touch the mix: Lift the stems and remove black, soft sections. Replace compact wet substrate and lay only firm cuttings across clean airy mix. If softness continues along the trails, isolate and discard the soft stems and leaves; do not spread them through the pot.
• Shrivelled leaves and crisp tips: The shallow root ball may have dried throughout or shed water around a dry centre. Water gently until the whole root ball is moist, let it drain and trim trails back to living leaf joints.
• Faded pattern and long gaps between leaves: Shift the pot gradually to a brighter filtered position. Existing leaves will not regain stronger markings, but new growth should be more closely spaced and show the normal pattern.
• Bald patches: Check that nearby stems are firm and pest-free. Pin healthy leaf joints against lightly moist substrate or add rooted cuttings, keeping the surface moist only long enough for new roots to establish.
• Tiny dark flies around the pot: Adults suggest a reason to inspect the substrate but do not prove root damage. Look for translucent larvae with black heads; if present, let the surface dry further, trap adults and use beneficial nematodes or an indoor-use product for fungus-gnat larvae.
• Fine webbing or pale speckles: Search the dense trails with a hand lens for spider mites. Isolate the plant, rinse carefully if practical and treat with a mite product suitable for indoor plants, testing it on one trail first.
• Silvered tips, black specks or distorted leaves: These signs point to thrips when insects or larvae are also found. Remove badly affected sections and use a thrips treatment as its label directs.
• Cottony clusters among the trails: Inspect the leaf joints and root ball for mealybugs. Remove visible insects and check if they are above or below the substrate. Use an indoor-use product whose label covers both the pest and the part of the plant being treated.

Peperomia prostrata 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.

How the name Peperomia prostrata came about

Peperomia combines Greek peperi, “pepper”, with homoios, “resembling”, and means “pepper-like”. The Latin name prostrata means “lying flat”, “laid low” or “creeping” and describes the plant’s trailing stems.

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

Maxwell Tylden Masters and Thomas Moore first described Peperomia prostrata in 1879 in Gardeners’ Chronicle, new series, volume 11, page 716; Benjamin Samuel Williams had proposed the name.