Pilea peperomioides is an erect, evergreen perennial plant, with shiny, dark green, circular leaves up to 10 cm (4 in) in diameter on long petioles. The leaves are described as (peltate) i.e. they are circular with the petiole attached near the centre. The plant is completely hairless. It grows to around 30 cm (12 in) tall and wide in the wild, sometimes more when grown indoors. The stem is greenish to dark brown, usually unbranched and upright, and lignified at the base when mature. In poor growing conditions, the plants lose their leaves in the lower part of the stem and thereby assume a distinctive habit. The flowers are inconspicuous