Peperomia tetraphylla (G.Forst.) Hook. & Arn.

First published in Bot. Beechey Voy.: 97 (1832)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropics & Subtropics. It is a perennial, lithophyte or epiphyte and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome. It is used as a medicine and has environmental uses.

Descriptions

Piperaceae, Bernard Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1996

Morphology General Habit
Usually epiphytic herb, with tufted creeping glabrous stems, 5–27 cm. long, sometimes forming mats on tree branches, the stolons giving rise to more erect flowering shoots.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves sometimes reddish beneath, in whorls of (3–)4, elliptic to ± round, obovate or rhombic, 0.6–1.7 cm. long, 0.4–1.3 cm. wide, rounded at the apex, cuneate at the base, fleshy, shiny and glabrous, obscurely 3-nerved; petiole 1–3 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Spikes green or yellowish, (0.5–)1.5–4.5 cm. long; peduncle (0.6–)1–1.5(–3) cm. long; bracts round, 0.6 mm. wide, entire or crenate, usually glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit narrowly ellipsoid or ovoid, ± 1 mm. long, partly sunk into the rhachis with an indistinct cupule-like structure at base, and symmetrical style at apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Nuts brownish red, 1–1.2 mm. long, 0.3–0.4 mm. wide.
Habitat
On trees in wet highland forests, drier evergreen forests, mist forests, also on fallen logs and in grass by river banks, rocky knolls (whether on trees or rocks not stated) and semi-evergreen bushland; 950–2700(–2800 fide Düll) m.
Distribution
widespread in Africa from Guinea to Cameroon and São Tomé, Zaire to S. Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Socotra, south to Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africapantropical K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 T2 T3 T4 T6 T7 T8 U1 U2
[FTEA]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 1200 - 3000 m.; Andes, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
Morphology General Habit
Hierba, epífita
Conservation
Preocupación Menor
[CPLC]

Piperaceae, M.A. Diniz. Flora Zambesiaca 9:2. 1997

Morphology General Habit
Perennial, usually epiphytic herbs with tufted creeping stems 6–20 cm long, sometimes forming mats on tree branches, the stolons giving rise to more erect flowering shoots.
Morphology Stem
Stems slender, simple or dichotomously branched, rooting at the lower nodes, 4-angled; lower internodes up to 5 cm long, very short towards the apex.
Morphology Leaves Petiole
Petiole subsessile or up to 15–30 mm long.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves (3)4-whorled, (4)6–15(18) ? (3)4–11(12.5) mm, elliptic, rhomboid, ovate, obovate-elliptic or almost rounded, broadly obtuse to rounded at the apex, rounded or broadly cuneate at the base, glabrous on upper surface, glabrous to subglabrous or puberulous beneath, thick, coriaceous, weakly shining, drying ± greyish-glaucous, longitudinally and ± obscurely 3-nerved.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence of solitary, terminal or axillary, green spikes; rhachis (8)12–30(40) mm long, shortly hairy; peduncle (6)10–18(25) mm long, glabrous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary ovoid, sunk in alveoli on the rhachis; stigma terminal.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit c. 1 mm long, subcylindrical, with a pseudocupule at the base, covered with viscous glands.
[FZ]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 1200–3000 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Bogotá DC, Cauca, Cesar, Chocó, Cundinamarca, Magdalena, Meta, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindío, Risaralda, Santander, Valle del Cauca.
Habit
Herb, Epiphyte.
Conservation
National Red List of Colombia (2021): Potential LC.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, native grassland, artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

Uses

Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images
  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0