Species · genus Peperomia · Piperaceae

String of Turtles

Peperomia prostrata B.S.Williams ex Mast. & T.Moore

Also known as: Turtle Vine

Growth habit

epiphyte

Native range

Ecuador

Reference · P. prostrata

Cultivars of P. prostrata

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under P. prostrata yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A trailing epiphyte from Ecuador, this Peperomia grows clinging to bark rather than in soil, so its roots drain fast and rot if left sitting wet. The small bead-like leaves store some water, letting it tolerate drying out between drinks. Grow it in a loose, airy mix in bright indirect light, and water only when the top inch of mix is dry.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 14 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

16–26 °C

Soil mix

Light, airy mix with perlite; shallow container

Propagation

Stem strands laid on or pinned to moist mix

Fertilizing

Weak balanced feed every 4–6 weeks in growing season

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Rarely flowers indoors; trailing 'string of turtles' foliage is the draw

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Non-toxic to cats & dogs

Peperomia (Piperaceae) — ASPCA lists multiple Peperomia non-toxic (e.g. watermelon peperomia, P. argyreia); genus-wide safe. This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

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Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ASPCA

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow String of Turtles yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.