Peperomia galioides Kunth

A suberect, branched, succulent, epiphytic or terrestrial herb; stem 2-3 or rarely 8 mm. thick, up to 100 cm. long but mostly much shorter, branching di-or trichotomous or verticillate, the branches often slender, wand-like, and commonly rather strongly divergent, moderately to densely hirtellous; leaves 3-9 at a node, commonly 4-5, elliptic, elliptic-oblong, subspatulate, or oblanceolate, 2-5 mm. wide X 5-30 mm. long, apex obtuse, base acute, obscurely palmately 3-nerved or subplinerved, the midrib faintly branched upward, commonly more or less puberu-lent along the midrib at least near the base above and sometimes slightly so beneath, ciliolate toward the apex, often glandular-dotted, drying membranous; petiole very short, hirtellous; spikes terminal and axillary, solitary or in verticels of 3-6 spikes, 4-7 or rarely up to 15 cm. long; peduncle mostly about 5 or occasionally up to 10 mm. long, glabrate or sparsely hirtellous; bracts round-peltate; fruit about 1 mm. long, globose-ovoid, apex oblique, stigma subapical.