“The one whose love will still be strong after the joys of summer have gone.”

Watermelon Peperomia

Peperomia argyraea

Silver-and-green stripes like a watermelon rind, on round leaves held up by red stalks. A single leaf can root a whole new plant.

Forever

3.4/5

how easy it is to care for

3.5/5

how much it stands out visually

: Shade to filtered

Near a bright window, out of the sun; farther back works

Bright light with no sun on its leaves; a sheer curtain lets it sit right at the glass. Medium light works too, with slower, sparser growth.

Most peperomias come from forest light, either on the shady floor or up in the broken light of the canopy (RHS), and that’s the light to copy indoors.

A north-facing window lets the silver bands show without any risk to them. So does a table a couple of feet back from an east window, or the far side of a room that faces south or west. Sun landing straight on the leaves can scorch them (NC State), and on leaves this pale, a scorch mark is hard to miss.

In a Chicago winter, watch the glass more than the light. It dislikes cold drafts (NC State), so if a sill turns icy in January, move it to a table nearby for the season.

Copy that forest-floor glow, minus the chill.

: 2-3× a month

Every 7-10 days in summer, 10-14 in winter; wilt beats rot

Every 7-10 days in summer, closer to 10-14 in winter, with the top of the soil drying between. Its thick, waxy leaves hold a reserve, so a late drink is forgiven; NC State notes soggy soil can rot its roots.

Water beads on those rounded, waxy leaves and can sit there, so pour at the soil beneath them. NC State advises keeping peperomia foliage dry to head off leaf spots.

Overwatering shows on the leaves first: NC State reads yellowing or curling peperomia leaves as a sign of it.

Summer, its thirstier season, is also when it enjoys humid air (Missouri Botanical Garden).

Gone for a while? Two weeks is fine if it’s watered the day you leave.

: Small

Red-stalked, striped leaves in a slow 6-8 inch clump

A compact, slow-growing clump of round, striped leaves on red stalks, 6-8 inches tall. Set it low, on a side table or a tray seen from standing, where the rind stripes read from above.

Full size takes 2-5 years (RHS), and even then it spreads only about 3-6 inches across (Missouri Botanical Garden).

It does best pot-bound and seldom needs a bigger pot (NC State), so the pot you bring it home in can likely serve for years.

NC State says it looks best grouped with plants that share its needs. Set among other low, shade-loving pots, its dome sits under taller leaves.

Each leaf comes away with its own red stalk, and that stalk is the handle for making more: cut a leaf with it attached and set the base just touching the soil (RHS). The clump can also be split at the roots (NC State).

: Pet & kid safe

Nothing to worry about for dogs, cats, or kids

DogsSafe
CatsSafe
KidsSafe

The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to dogs and cats, and CHOP lists peperomias as nonpoisonous for kids.

The ASPCA files it twice, as watermelon peperomia and watermelon begonia, and clears it under both names. NC State marks it safe for horses too.

Its relatives look just as good on paper: the ASPCA also clears the baby rubber plant, ivy peperomia, and trailing peperomia. If you like the look, you can likely build a whole shelf of them.

If a pet eats a lot of it and seems off afterward, call your vet; the ASPCA’s hotline is (a fee may apply). Otherwise, wherever the light is right is likely fine, even within reach. The thing most at risk is the plant, from a cat that bats at those round leaves.

ASPCA: safe for dogs.
ASPCA: safe for cats.
CHOP: safe for kids.

Cats and dogs: The ASPCA lists it as non-⁠toxic.

Kids: CHOP lists it as non-⁠poisonous.

: Average

65-86°F; average humidity is fine

Happiest at 65-86°F, and it shouldn’t sit below 50°F. Humidity can drop to 30% without trouble.

Temperature: 65-86°F

: Mealybugs

Mealybugs, plus a few others; check leaf joints

Mealybugs are the most likely: check where leaves meet the stalks, the stalk bases, and leaf undersides. Mites, whiteflies, and scale also like undersides, aphids favor new growth and flower spikes, gnats the soil.

Mealybugs
Spider mites
Whiteflies
Scale
Aphids
Fungus gnats

Not many. Mealybugs are the likeliest pest, with scale, aphids, and spider mites now and then; root rot from wet soil is the real threat.

Mealybugs look like tufts of white cotton where the stalks meet the clump; scale looks like small brown bumps; aphids are small, soft bugs on new growth. Wipe them off with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol (a fingernail lifts scale), then check again next week.

Spider mites leave fine webbing and a pale, speckled look. Rinse the plant gently in the sink, undersides included, and use an insecticidal soap spray if they come back. Tiny black flies around the soil are fungus gnats: let the soil dry more between soaks and they die off.

Root rot shows as leaves dropping and stalks going soft at the base while the soil is wet. Let it dry out, empty the saucer, and water less; leaf spot is kept off by watering the soil, not the leaves.

: More

Feed every 2 weeks Apr-Oct; repot every 2-3 years

From April to October, feed half-strength liquid fertilizer every two weeks, or give slow-release granules once in spring. Twice a year, clear dead leaves and stems and snip spent flower spikes. Repot every 2-3 years.

Feed14× a year
Clean leaves2× a year
Deadhead2× a year

A houseplant or cactus mix that drains fast, in a small pot with a drainage hole; a pot only slightly bigger than the one it came in keeps the soil from staying wet.

It likes being snug, so repot every few years, in spring, one size up.

Food is optional: a low-strength liquid houseplant fertilizer now and then while it’s growing in spring and summer, and none in winter.

: Suave

Silver-striped round leaves, waxy, filling the pot

Round green leaves are striped in silver like a watermelon rind, on red stalks. The surface is glossy and waxy, and the leaves crowd together until the soil disappears from view.

Fun fact

Its silver-and-green stripes run the length of each round leaf like a watermelon rind. In the wild it grows in wet tropical Brazil, as a small shrub or perched on other plants.

Designer tips

Small, graphic, and a little retro: silver-and-green stripes that look best up close.

On a desk a few feet from an east window

The colorPicks up a red-brown accent with its little red stalksEach striped leaf sits on a red stalk, a detail most people miss until it’s repeated nearby: a red-brown rug, a rust cushion, a cherry-wood tray. Repeat it once and the plant looks chosen.

The potSits low in a small terracotta bowl on a deskA low, wide pot lets the round leaves fan out over the rim, and clay lets the soil dry a little between drinks, which it prefers to staying wet.

The spotFits the narrow bathroom shelf by an east windowIt’s small enough for the narrow shelf above a sink, and a bathroom with an east window gives it the soft morning light it likes, with no sun on the leaves.

Troubleshooting

The leaves are drooping or falling off

Usually too much water: if the soil is still damp, give it longer between soaks and empty the saucer. If the soil is bone dry and the leaves feel thin and limp, it’s gone too long, and a soak, then every 7-10 days in summer, likely helps.

Why are the stalks going soft at the base?

Rot from wet soil, which NC State warns can come on quickly. Let the pot dry right out and water less; if the base is too far gone, a few healthy leaves with their stalks can root as new plants.

The stripes are fading

It wants more light. Closer to an east window, still out of the sun, the new leaves likely come in with sharper stripes.

See all 9

Pale or brown patches on the leaves

Sun landing on them. Move it back from the window or behind a sheer curtain; marked leaves stay marked, but new ones likely come in clean.

Why are the leaf tips turning brown?

Possibly the tap water: the RHS says peperomias are sensitive to fluoride in it, which browns the leaf tips. The plant carries on either way.

A leaf snapped off

It can make a new plant: push its red stalk into a small pot of damp mix and keep it warm and barely moist. Roots form and a tiny plant comes up at the base, slowly.

What are the thin cream spikes?

Its flowers, tiny cream ones packed along a thin spike. Nothing to do; snip them off at the base once they brown.

Is it safe for my cat or dog?

Yes: the ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to cats and dogs, under both watermelon peperomia and watermelon begonia. Eating any plant can upset a stomach, so a big nibble might mean some vomiting, but the plant isn’t poisonous.

Is it a begonia?

No, it’s a peperomia. The old nickname watermelon begonia stuck, and the ASPCA still lists it under that name too, but its care is peperomia care: a snug pot and a mix that doesn’t stay soggy.

Propagation

Yes, from a single leaf, or by splitting a big clump when you repot.

Cut a healthy leaf with its red stalk and push the stalk into a small pot of damp mix.
Keep it warm and barely moist; roots form, and a tiny new plant comes up at the base.
It’s slow, so be patient.