Plant of the Month August 2025: Baby Rubberplant (Peperomia obtusifolia)

This August we’re highlighting another great low maintenance houseplant favorite: Peperomia obtusifolia, more commonly known as ‘baby rubberplant’. It’s also referred to as ‘pepper face’ since it’s a member of the Piperaceae family. One of the best known species of Piperaceae is Piper nigrum or black peppercorn. Many plants in the Piperaceae family are used as spices. Baby rubberplant is in the very diverse Peperomia genus. Some species of Peperomia are arid climate succulent types, others are more tropical, decorative foliage types. Baby rubberplant is native to tropical regions across Central America and parts of South America.

Baby rubberplant is a shrub-like evergreen perennial that can grow up to 10 inches tall and blooms uniquely shaped flowers that can be up to 5 inches long. This beautifully lush plant has thick, waxy cup shaped leaves that grow along thick stems. Baby rubberplant does not have your typical flowers, you might even accidentally mistake its flowers for new growth at first. When flowering, narrow white or pale green spikes emerge from the leaves. Sometimes, baby rubberplant is confused with Peperomia magnoliifolia or ‘spoonleaf peperomia’ due to the similar shape in leaves. However baby rubberplant’s leaves have more of a leathery texture, while spoonleaf peperomia has more of a fleshy appearance.

Not only is baby rubberplant nice to look at, it’s also super easy to take care of and pet safe! They’re generally quite resistant to pests, although be wary of mealybugs (they’ll literally suck the life out of the plant’s stems. You can eliminate pests usually with a treatment or two of neem oil or by wiping the plant down with a 70% isopropyl alcohol solution and a clean paper towel. Like many houseplants and succulents, baby rubberplant is sensitive to overwatering, so make sure to ONLY water when the soil is DRY. Overwatering can create environments that attract pests or worse, cause irreversible root rot inevitably resulting in plant death. Avoid giving your baby rubberplant too much direct sunlight as well. While too much sun won’t generally kill your plant, it will cause the leaves to yellow and become dull/pale in color.

Baby Rubberplant (Peperomia obtusifolia) needs the following care:

Light ☀️ Partial Sun to Partial Shade

Water 💧 Only when soil is completely dry. Do not overwater

Grow 🌱 This is not a cold hardy plant. For best results avoid temperatures below 60 F.