AN ENCYCLOPADIA OF HORTICULTURE. 
147 
Piper—continued. 
stamens two to four, rarely five or many; spikes peduncu- 
late or rarely sub-sessile. Leaves alternate, entire or 
(in one species) trifid, stalked; stipules adherent to the 
leaf-stalk, or opposite, and deciduous. Few of the 
species have any horticultural importance, but some of 
them are of great economic value. The Pepper of com- 
_Piper—continued. 
P. Betle. Betel Pepper. fl., catkins opposite the leaves, 
peduncled, greatly enlarged in fruit, pendent. J. alternate, 
distichous, cordate-ovate, 4in. to Tin. long, acuminated at apex, 
oblique at base ; petioles rounded, stipuled when erg Stems 
trailing or climbing to a great height. East Indies, 1804. Stove. 
This species yields the Betel Leaf of the South Asiatics— 
almost as extensive an article of commerce as Tobacco is in 
the West. (B. M. 3132.) 
Fie. 189. BRANCH OF PIPER PORPHYROPHYLLUM. 
merce (P. nigrum) is imported in enormous quantities. 
It is also employed as an acrid stimulant in cases of im- 
paired digestion, and it hës been recommended, in cases 
of àgue, to prevent the paroxysm. P. nigrum and the 
rest of the stove speciés grow freely in a well-drained, 
rich, loamy soil. The others thrive in almost any soil, 
in a cooler temperature. All are propagated by cuttings 
of the half-ripened shoots, inserted in sandy soil, under 
a bell glass. 
P. borneense (Bornean). l. large, of a rich dark green, with 
broad — — eee — between the eleven nerves, 
rugose and glabrous above, hairy-pubescent beneath. Stem thick, 
hairy. Borneo, 1882. A dwarf, eat herb peci 
P. decurrens (decurrent).* 7. green, shaded with metallic 
iridescence, large. Stem stout, pale m, mottled with white 
spots and black lines. Columbia, 1876. A distinct and splendid _ 
stove plant. (I. H. 239.) SYNS. Artanthe decurrens and 
— ——— 
P, excelsum aureum-pictum (tall, golden-painted).’ aae 
large, creamy blotch, broadly ovate-cordate, 
