Piper

Small trees, shrubs, subshrubs, or rarely herbs, erect or reclining, glabrous or pubescent. Leaves alternate, pubescent. Leaf blade conspicuously pinnately veined, lateral veins ascending-arching, connected by fainter, ladderlike, tertiary veins. Spikes opposite leaves, ascending-arching, densely flowered, distally drooping. Flowers sessile, borne on surface of rachis; floral bracts fringed with whitish hairs; stamens 2[-6]; stigmas [2-]3[-4]. Fruits sessile, oblong (inversely pyramidal-3-angled in P. auritum); beak minute.

Distribution

Primarily tropics and subtropics.

Discussion

Species 1000 (2 in the flora).

This genus includes Piper nigrum Linnaeus, the source of black pepper and white pepper.

Measurements for spike length in all descriptions include the peduncle.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Piper aduncum, Piper auritum

Key

1	Leaf blade obliquely rounded to obliquely cuneate at base; petiole not winged.	Piper aduncum
1	Leaf blade narrowly and deeply obliquely cordate at base; petiole winged at base.	Piper auritum