The Raindrop Peperomia is a beautiful compact plant with a lot of love to give.
It’s not the smallest Peperomia, but it’s certainly one of the densest.
Named for its teardrop-shaped leaves that hold together in a tight formation. It’s quite literally overflowing with thick and shiny heart(y) foliage.
This tropical forest native is a great fit for terrariums that can fit its large. luscious leaves.
Find out how to care for this charming terrarium plant and how best to use it.
Where to Buy Raindrop Peperomia
See the links below to purchase from reputable terrarium plant shops and marketplaces (may include affiliate links).
Peperomia polybotrya Care & Growth
| Plant Type | Foliage |
| Lighting | Bright, indirect light |
| Temperature | 65-80°F (18-26°C) |
| Watering | Moderate, even moisture |
| Humidity | 8-12 inches |
| Growth | High humidity (60-90%) |
Lighting
Peperomia polybotrya has a love of bright, indirect light.
They thrive on windowsills or near windows with North or Eastern exposure. (If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, the opposite is true – West or South-facing windows are better).
The main thing is to avoid direct light.
This Peperomia variety is prone to the plant equivalent of sunburn, so I’d avoid it entirely if possible.
If in doubt, they can handle more shady conditions because of their usual placement on the forest floor.
Watering
Native to Colombia and Peru, the Peperomia polybotrya has evolved to enjoy more damp, humid conditions.
It’s a thirsty plant, so I wouldn’t recommend ever letting it dry out completely.
But as with most plants, overwatering can damage the Raindrop’s root structure, so good drainage is an absolute must.
Kept as a houseplant, you’ll need to use a pot with a drainage hole and tray. In a terrarium, build a drainage layer by adding an inch of leca, a thin mesh, and then add your soil on top.
Soil/Substrate
The roots of the Raindrop Peperomia are super delicate, so they won’t dig themselves too deep into the soil.
While this makes them great for small terrariums, it also means choosing a quality substrate is even more crucial.
Good drainage and aeration are key factors in keeping those roots healthy.
Our tropical terrarium substrate is fantastic for this. It’s got a fluffy coco coir base for moisture retention, chunky orchid bark and biochar for drainage, and earthworm castings for organic fertilizer.
👉 Check out our terrarium soil on our store.
Temperature & Humidity
Peperomia polybotrya is happiest in humid and warm environments, with the ideal temperature being between 65 and 80° (or 18-26°C). So as long as you keep your home a liveable temperature, you should be a-okay.
One thing about this plant is that it loves humidity. The more you can give it, the better.
For this reason, a closed terrarium environment is perfect, though they’ll still grow happily in the home as long as they have plenty of humidity.
Try putting it in the bathroom or grouped with other plants on a shelf.
Growth & Flowers
The Coin Leaf Peperomia is a reasonably average grower when it comes to speed.
It’s not the kind of plant that will take off overnight, and equally, it’s not the type to stay unchanging for years.
Left to its own devices, it’ll stay on the shorter side. Trellis-like supports aren’t necessary, but I’ve seen plenty of plant owners utilize them to get their plants to grow tall.
Like most Peperomia species, the polybotrya can produce flowers, but if you’ve ever owned a Peperomia before, you’ll know they’re more boring than you ever thought flowers could be.
They’re more like light green flower spikes than flowers.
Most people (myself included) like to snip or pinch them off so the plant doesn’t spend its energy growing them and can “focus” on the leaves instead…
Which sounds like the horticultural equivalent of a toxic relationship.
Talk about “cut them off and focus on yourself!” 😂
Propagation
Peperomia polybotrya is an easy plant to propagate when using either leaf or stem cuttings, though I’d always recommend using stems over leaves.
Why make life harder for yourself, ey?
Take a cutting below a node (ideally with a couple of leaves attached), pop in a glass of water, and wait for it to work its magic.
To speed up the process, you can add a cover to the glass to boost the humidity.
Alternatively, if you have several shoots on your plant, you can divide it into smaller plants.
(This is, without a doubt, my number one hack in acquiring more terrarium-sized plants).
Varieties & Similar Plants
The Coin Leaf Peperomia is frequently mistaken for its ever-popular cousin, the Chinese Money Plant.
While these two plants are similar in growth style and appearance, the Raindrop’s leaves are more teardrop-shaped than simply round like the Chinese Money Plant (which is actually a Pilea, not a Peperomia).
The Raindrop Peperomia isn’t short on relations though, there are 1500 other plants recorded in the Peperomia genus, and most of them are fantastic terrarium plant choices.
Check out the Peperomia albovittata ‘Piccolo Banda’ or Peperomia Rosso for another foliage species, or if you’re looking for a vining type, try Peperomia Hope, Peperomia rotundifolia or Peperomia ‘Pepperspot’.