Peperomia obtusifolia/Peperomia

This betel and pepper family plant is a favourite among plant-parents. Bright emerald leaves, evergreen, easy to maintain, pest-resistant – what else would a plant-lover need! It’s no wonder it goes so popular as a desktop plant. It can be differentiated from the thousands of other peperomias of the world by the blunt edges of its leaves (hence the scientific name obtusifolia – obtuse = blunt, folia = leaves).

But what’s with the rubber plant connection? Well, given the glossiness and waxiness of the leaves, they do resemble the Rubber Tree Ficus elastica somewhat. Since the leaves and the plant remain much smaller in size, the epithet ‘Baby’ is attached to the moniker. Otherwise, P. obtusifolia is a native of Central America and the Caribbean.