2019 ASHS Annual Conference

The use and promotion of native plants as ornamentals in Hawaii has increased in the last 30 years due to issues concerning invasive species and the importance of conserving biodiversity. While some success has been achieved in promoting native species for landscaping, limited research has been done to identify species for indoor use. Among all the native species found in the Hawaiian Islands, species in the genus Peperomia, possess the most potential as indoor plants. To evaluate the potential indoor use of Hawaiian Peperomia, we conducted a study to determine survival of four species (P. cookiana, P. leptostachya, P. oahuensis and P. sandwicensis) under three indoor light levels. Shade house grown plants of each species were transferred indoors (23.12 °C and 54.79% RH) and grown for six months under three different light levels: 1) next to a north facing window (2.35 mol·m^-2·d^-1); 2) under a 12-hour fluorescent light treatment mimicking regular office conditions (0.43 mol·m^-2·d^-1); and 3) under a 12-hour low fluorescent light treatment (0.22 mol·m^-2·d^-1). Ten plants per species were grown in each light treatment. Daily plant mortality was recorded for six months. Results indicate that P. sandwicensis was the most tolerant species under the three light conditions. Under low light conditions, P. sandwicensis was the only species that survived (60% survival). Survival of P. sandwicensis under office light condition and window light condition were 100% and 80%, respectively. P. blanda survival was high under window light conditions (80%), but not under office and low light conditions (<30%). This study indicates the potential for developing P. sandwicensis and P. blanda as indoor plants.