Piper paratum

Piper parmatum is a very rare pepper species from Panama. Unlike most other peppers, it does not grow as a ground cover, vine, or bush, but as a very compact plant with stems only 5 to 15 cm high. It grows either epiphytically or laterally on steep riverbanks, and thus quite differently from all other Piper species currently in cultivation.

Its appearance also makes it quite special. The leaves are peltate and strongly bullate (blister-like structure). They are very reminiscent of some anthuriums, such as Anthurium luxurians or Anthurium corrugatum , but are even more finely textured. In contrast to these anthuriums, the leaves (and the entire plant) remain significantly smaller. Piper parmatum reaches a total height of about 20 cm. The leaves grow to about 10 cm long and 5 to 6 cm wide. The leaf color is strongly dependent on the light conditions in which it grows and also on the age of the leaves. In low light, older leaves in particular become very dark, even almost black, where the green coloration is barely discernible. Fresh leaves are always light green.

The plant sometimes sold as " Piper parmatum Silver," which has some light-colored areas in its leaves, is not P. parmatum but a different Piper species, namely Piper perbrevicaule . Although their leaves may look similar at first glance, the two species differ significantly in their growth and ecology.

Piper perbrevicaule is a typical terrestrial Piper species that grows as a ground cover/vine.

Piper parmatum is an epiphyte, or grows on slopes, and is not a vine.

The plants offered here are guaranteed to be genuine Piper parmatum , with solid dark leaves and compact growth.



You will receive a young plant with 2 to 4 leaves in a 9 cm pot. This species grows very slowly. The plants we offer here are somewhat smaller than usual for our other Piper species.



Please note: Piper species are very sensitive to temperature. The plants will only be shipped again in styrofoam boxes with heat packs once nighttime temperatures are consistently between 12 and 15 °C. This may not be until the end of February or even March. Until then, paid plants will remain in our greenhouse and are reserved for you. Orders containing Piper species will NOT be split into partial shipments. If you have any questions, please contact us by email at webshop@jungle-leaves.de.