166 PIPERACE^. 



glabrescent beneath ; amenta short, nearly as long as the peduncles and petioles ; ovary 

 beaked : stigma anterior ; fruit oblong-cylindrical, subsessile : beak linear. — Linn. Trans- 

 act. 9. t. 21./. 2. — Piper bracteatum, Thomps. Pep. reniformis, Hook.! Acrocarpidium 

 repens, Miq. ! and Guildingianum, Miq. ! — Stem radicant, of indefinite length ; leaves 4'"- 

 9'" diam., nearly as long as the petiole ; fruit with a very minute carpophore. — Hab. 

 Jamaica!, March, Wils., Wullschl., to Trinidad!, Cr.; [Cuba! to Brazil!]. 



§ 2. Leaves alternate {sometimes partly opposite), with a strong, flat midrib. Stigma 

 minute, on the anterior side of the subulate ovary-beak. 



* Leaves thin, peltate, or their lamina distinct from the petiole. 



14. P. hernandifolia, Dietr., Miq. ! Glabrous, succulent ; stem creeping, radicant, 

 ascending at the top ; leaves alternate, distant, thin, peltate, ovate, cuspidate, obsoletely 

 7-9-nerved: petiole as long as the lamina, the latter inserted below its middle ; aments 

 shorter than the elongated peduncle : ovary beaked ; fruit ovoid, sessile, as long as the beak. 

 — Piper, V. Pep. Ponthieui, Miq. — Stem of indefinite length : internodes 2"-3" long ; 

 leaves &"-li" long, 24 '"-9"' broad : aments l"-2" long. — Hab. Jamaica !, March, Wils. ; 

 S. Vincent!, Guild.; Granada, Trinidad (Thomps.), in mountain-woods ; [Cuba!]. 



15. P. producta, Gr. (n. sp.). Glabrous, succulent ; stem creeping, radicant, ascending 

 at the top ; leaves alternate, distant, thin, elliptical, shortly cuspidate with a blimtish poiut, 

 rounded at the subpeltate base, obsoletely septuplinerved : petiole as long as the lamina, 

 the latter inserted immediately above its base ; aments usually geminate, longer than their 

 special, shorter than their common peduncle ; ovary beaked ; fruit ovoid-oblong, sessile, 

 longer thau its curved beak. — Intermediate between the preceding and the following species ; 

 leaves 3"-2" long, 2"-l" broad, papery, opaque, obsoletely yellow-dotted beneath : rounded 

 base produced about 1'" beyond the petiole, which is rather flatly channelled, equalling the 

 internodes; aments 1"-1£" long: peduncles axillary, ascending (together with the leaves) 

 from the creeping stem. — Hab. Jamaica!, Macf.; [Cuba !]. 



16. P. distachya, Dietr. Puberulous or glabrate, succulent ; stem creeping, radicant, 

 ascending at the top ; leaves alternate, distant, thin, ovate, cuspidate with a bluntish point, 

 subcordate or rounded at the base, ciliate, obsoletely septupli-7-nerved : petiole usually 

 shorter than the lamina, the latter inserted at its base ; aments usually geminate, about as 

 long as the peduncles ; ovary beaked ; fruit ovoid, sessile, longer than its curved beak. — 

 Plum. Descr. t. 67.— Piper, L.— Leaves 2"-l" long, 1 8'"-6'" broad ; aments l"-2" long — 

 Hab. Jamaica !, March, ou rocky hills ; [Cuba ! to Brazil !]. 



** Leaves tapering at the base. 



17. P. obtusifolia, Dietr., Miq. ! Glabrous, fleshy-succulent ; stem ascending ; leaves 

 alternate, leathery, broadly-obovate or spathulate, retuse or blunt, tapering into the petiole, 

 penninerved ; ameuts subterminal, usually geminate, elongated, curved : peduncles as long 

 as the leaves ; ovary beaked ; fruit ovoid, sessile, as long as the strong, deflexed beak. — 

 Plum. Descr. t. 70. Desc. Ft. 5. t. 313.— Piper, L— Stem about 1' high ; leaves 3"- 

 2" (-6") long, 2i"-8"' (-3") broad : petiole channelled, 12"'-4'" long; aments 6"-2" long. 



a. Leaves broadly obovate or obovate-roundish. — Jacquin's figure (lc. Par. t. 212) of his P. 

 clusiifolium, usually quoted as a synonym, represents well the leaf-form, but is nearly de- 

 void of petioles. 



£. cuneata, Miq. Leaves spathulate (2i"-2" long, 10"'-8"' broad). 



y. papyracea. Leaves obovate-oblong, less thick (6"-4" long, &"-\\" broad). 



Hab. Jamaica !, Macf., Lane, March (a and y) ; Antigua !, Wullschl. ; S. Vincent !, Guild, 

 (a and 0), in rocky woods; Trinidad; [Mexico ! and Cuba ! to Brazil!]. 



18. P. amplexicaulis, Dietr., Miq.! Glabrous, fleshy-succulent; stem ascending; 

 leaves alternate, leathery, spathulate-lanceolate or spathulate (rarely obovate), bluntish or 

 blunt and retuse, tapering into the seisile or subsessile base, penninerved ; aments usually 

 geminate, elongated ; ovary beaked ; fruit ovoid, sessile, much lo7iger than the conical ap- 

 pendage, the slender beak of which is deciduous. — Piper, Sic. I — Leaf-form as variable as in 

 the preceding ; aments 6"-4" long : special peduncles 1" long. 



o. Sioartzia/ia. Leaves spathulate-lanceolate or spathulate, gradually tapering into the 

 rounded, sessile base. — Jacq. Ic. Par. t. 214. — Piper cuneifolium, Jacq. — Stem about 1' high ; 

 leaves 8"-4" long, 1J"-1" broad above, 6"'-3'" at the base. 



