10 Plants That Look Like Peperomia

Peperomia is a genus in the Piperaceae family and consists of more than 1000 species, all native to tropical and subtropical regions. Peperomia plants are extremely popular for indoor use, and their beautiful leaves often draw one’s attention.

Because the peperomia genus has so many plants, it isn’t easy to pinpoint exactly what to look for in one. For example, some peperomias have heart-shaped leaves, while others have striped leaves. Some also have solid green leaves with a glossy appearance. Most peperomias grow up to 12 inches tall and have densely packed leaves.

Considering how many peperomia species there are, it’s no surprise that you might also mistake other plants for peperomias. Some plants that look like peperomia include:

• Tradescantia Tricolor – oval leaves that look like some peperomia species.
• String of Hearts – heart-shaped leaves with stripes like some peperomias.
• Pothos – heart-shaped leaves with coloring like a peperomia.
• Persian Shield – sword-like leaves that look like some peperomias when young.
• Nerve plant – small, oval leaves that look like peperomia leaves.
• White Night Philodendron – large, oval leaves with coloring like a peperomia.
• Chinese Money Plant – small oval leaves that look like peperomia leaves.
• Heartleaf Philodendron – heart-shaped leaves that look like some peperomias.
• Chinese Evergreen – oval leaves easily mistakable for a peperomia.
• Inch Plant – oval leaves with stripes that look like peperomia.

Stick around if you have trouble differentiating between a peperomia and some of these plants. We’ll discuss how these 10 plants resemble a peperomia and how they differ from it.

1. Tradescantia Tricolor (Tradescantia Fluminensis)

The Tradescantia tricolor is a creeping plant native to South America’s subtropical and tropical parts. Because it is found in the same regions as peperomia, it’s no surprise that these plants share many characteristics with peperomias.

They grow up to 9 inches tall and have sharp-edged leaves. The leaves are either green or green with a pinkish hue. In addition, there are silver/white stripes across the leaves, which resemble some peperomia species, like the parallel peperomia (Peperomia puteolata).

However, the silver markings look different on a tradescantia tricolor, which is how you can tell these plants apart.

2. String Of Hearts (Ceropegia woodii)

String of hearts is a popular indoor plant. It is also a creeper and is often styled as a hanging plant. The heart-shaped leaves and irregular silver coloring makes the string of hearts look like a string of turtles peperomia. Like a peperomia, the string of hearts grows about 12 inches tall.

However, while the string of turtles peperomia has round leaves, a string of hearts has definite heart-shaped leaves. You can therefore distinguish between these plants by looking at the leaf shape. The string of hearts is native to the South Western parts of Africa.

3. Pothos (Epipremnum pinnatum)

Another plant with similar characteristics as a peperomia is the pothos. There are many pothos varieties. Some, like the jade pothos, have many similarities with the peperomia species. Like the peperomia, the pothos is native to tropical regions, originally found on the Solomon Islands.

It is also a creeper, grows up to 12 inches tall, and can spread as wide as 10 feet. Pothos leaves are oval-shaped with sharp edges, just like teardrop peperomias ( Peperomia orba). Some pothos varieties also have silver coloring, just like peperomias.

However, the coloring differs slightly between a pothos and a peperomia, with the silver streaks spread across the entire leaf and only around the edges of a peperomia. As such, you can distinguish between these plants.

Related: 8 Plants That Look Like Pothos / Devil’s Ivy (but are not)

4. Persian Shield (Strobilanthes Dyerianus)

Persian shields are beautiful indoor plants with bright purple and green leaves. The leaves of a Persian shield remind one of a peperomia regarding their shape. The Persian shield is also a tropical plant native to Myanmar.

The leaves of a Persian shield are long and sword-like, resembling the leaves of peperomia varieties like the peperomia “Rosso” (Peperomia caperata ‘Rosso’). However, while the peperomia Rosso has green leaves, the Persian shield has purple leaves.

Persian shields are also much larger than peperomias, reaching 5 feet high. Persian shields are an excellent option for plants that will complement your peperomias.

5. Nerve Plant (Fittonia albivenis)

A nerve plant is another tropical plant easily mistakable for some peperomia varieties, especially the watermelon peperomia (Peperomia argyreia). The nerve plant is native to Peru and other South American countries in tropical regions. It has small, oval-shaped leaves with tapered edges.

The leaves are covered in tiny white or pink lines resembling nerves spreading across them. These lines are much thinner than the stripes on a watermelon peperomia. However, the leaves have a similar shape. The plant also reaches about 6 inches tall, making it look like a tiny peperomia.

Related: 7 Fittonia Plant (Nerve Plant) Benefits

6. White Knight Philodendron (Philodendron)

The white knight philodendron also has some similar characteristics to some peperomia species. Like many peperomias, it is also native to South America. It has large, heart-shaped leaves with irregular white patterns on them.

This reminds one of the American baby rubber plant (Peperomia obtusifolia), which has similarly shaped leaves and patterns. But the white knight philodendron is much larger than a peperomia, reaching up to 10 feet tall. And the leaves are also much bigger, making it easy to tell these plants apart.

Related: 8 Plants That Look Like Philodendron

7. Chinese Money Plant (Pilea peperomioides)

While the Chinese money plant has Lilypad-shaped leaves, it also reminds one of some peperomia species, like the peperomia ruby cascade. The leaves are large, round, and have a deep green color. And, while the peperomia ruby has red leaves, it also has green leaves.

Like the peperomia, a Chinese money plant grows about 12 inches tall. As the name suggests, Chinese money plants are native to the southern provinces of China, where the weather is tropical. While these plants have similar characteristics, it’s still easy to distinguish between them. For example, Chinese money plants have bigger, rounder leaves than peperomias.

Related: 6 Trees That Look Like Money Tree

8. Heartleaf Philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum)

The heartleaf philodendron is a creeper with heart-shaped leaves. It is native to Central America and the Caribbean islands. It has dark green, glossy leaves and white flower stalks, just like the raindrop peperomia (Peperomia Polybotrya).

Although the heartleaf philodendron is much larger and has bigger leaves than the peperomia, you might mistake it for peperomia while young. As the plant grows, however, it can reach up to 13 feet tall. It is often used as a hanging plant or creeper.

9. Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema pictum tricolor)

Like peperomia, the Chinese evergreen is a genus with more than 1000 species. Chinese evergreens are also native to the tropical regions of Southeast Asia, just like many peperomia species. Some Chinese evergreens resemble peperomias like parallel peperomias and watermelon peperomias.

However, since Chinese evergreens typically grow between 1 and 3 feet tall, it becomes easy to spot the differences between these plants as they mature. Chinese evergreens also make excellent companion plants for peperomias.

Related: 10 Plants That Look Like Chinese Evergreen

10. Inch Plant (Tradescantia zebrina)

The inch plant is another beautiful creeper that resembles some peperomia species. Inch plants grow up to 6 inches tall. They are native to the tropical regions of Asia, South America, Africa, and Australia. The inch plant has long, oval-shaped leaves, like the parallel peperomia, covered with white stripes.

One way to distinguish between these plants is by looking at their color. Inch plants are darker than peperomias and also come in a purple variety. This plant is a deep purple color with white stripes. The stripes on an inch plant’s leaves are also thicker than those of a parallel peperomia, looking more like those on a watermelon peperomia.

Related: 7 Wandering Jew (Inch Plant) Benefits