Peperomia polyboytra 'Raindrop" |
Peperomia 'Raindrop' - Natural shine |
Peperomia polybotrya ‘Raindrop’ is a
solid foliage houseplant from the past.
Its current claim to fame is that it looks like the Chinese Money Plant
(Pilea peperomioides).
To get indoor gardeners to pay
attention, we need the dominant characteristic to be obvious.
It can survive in very low light, a
great feature to give long life as a decorative plant. But if you don’t notice it, you’ll never find
out.
Plants with shiny leaves are
somewhat suspect --- Did you shine those leaves? Did you spray it with leaf shine?
With Peperomia ‘Raindrop’, shine is what
you get. It will be its dominant feature. All its other desirable qualities will be
apparent later.
Many customers just want some no-nonsense
greenery. Why are Pothos and Philodendron
so popular? They just live, no matter
what. ‘Raindrop’ will do this, too.
Costa Farms, the largest foliage
producer in the United States, is promoting this plant in their foliage
collections. They have their production,
I have mine.
When there was a frantic demand for
this plant two years ago, I found there was no supply. I was fortunate to find a tissue culture lab that
would take on this project. The media protocol was not known. Now, two years
later, we have plantlets coming out as bushy liners that can be grown on for
the houseplant market.
And guess what --- they have shiny
leaves.
Peperomia ‘Raindrop’ is a much
better plant than Chinese Money Plant.
It is upright and sturdy, doesn’t go flat with drought and lives.
Will it catch fire like Pilea peperomioides? We won’t know until you have one and you tell
your friends.
Let it shine!
No comments:
Post a Comment