174 



CLXII. PIPERACE^. Thb Pepper Tribe. 



PiPERACE^, Rich, in Humb. Bonpl. et Kunth N. G. et Sp.Pl. 1. 39. t. 3. (1815) ; 

 Meyer de Hmtttuynia atque Saurureis, (1827.) 



Diagnosis. Achlamydeous dicotyledons, with a 1 -celled ovarium, erect 

 ovules, and an embryo enclosed in a sac. 

 Anomalies. 



Essential Character — Flon-ers_ naked, hermaphrodite, with a bractea on the 

 outside. Stamens definite or indefinite, arranged ou one side or all round the ovarium, to 

 which they adhere more or less ; anthers 1- or 2-celled, with or without a fleshy connec- 

 tivum ; pollen smooth. Ovarirtm superior, simple, 1-celled, containing a single erect ovu. 

 lum ; stigma sessile, simple, rather oblique. Fruit superior, somewhat fleshy, indehiscent, 

 1-celled, 1-seeded. Seed erect, with the embryo lying in a fleshv sac placed at that end of 

 the seed which is opposite the hilum, on the outside of the albumen Shrubs or herba- 

 ceous plants. Z/fffnei opposite, verticillate, or alternate in consequence of the abortion of 

 one of the pair of leaves, without stipulw. Flowers usually sessile, sometimes pedicellate, 

 in spikes which are either terminal, or axiUary, or opposite the leaves. 



Affinities. As we approach the Monocotyledonous division of vege- 

 tables, Ave find the distinction between them and Dicotyledons, as derived 

 from their anatomical structure, becoming weaker and weaker ; but at the 

 same time it appears to me that sufficient distinctions are still visible between 

 these two modes of growth. Of this Piperaceoe are an instance. Accord- 

 ing to Richard, they are Monocotyledonous ; an opinion in which Blume 

 concurs, after an examination of abundance of species in their native places 

 of growth. See Ann. des Sc. 12. 222. But if the medullary rays constitute 

 the great anatomical difference between these divisions of the vegetable king- 

 dom (and I know of no other which is absolute), then Piperaceae are surely 

 Dicotyledonous, as is shewn by Meyer {Dissertatio de Houttuynia, 38), and 

 as may be ascertained by any one who will look at an old stem of any Pep- 

 per ; add to this, the veins of their leaves having a distinct articulation with 

 the stem, and the 2-lobed embryo; and it seems to me impossible to doubt 

 their being properly stationed among Dicotyledons. In this view they are 

 closely related to Polygonese, Saurureae, and Urticete, from all which, how- 

 ever, they are distinguished by obvious characters ; and also to Chloran- 

 theae, from which they differ in the point of attachment of the ovule, and 

 in the distinct existence of the remains of the amnios in the form of a sac 

 around the embryo. In the opinion of those who believe Piperacese to be 

 Monocotyledons, their station is near Aroidese, with which, indeed, they 

 must be considered in any point of view to be closely connected. 



Geography. Exclusively confined to the hottest parts of the world. 

 They are extremely common in tropical America and the Indian archipelago, 

 but, according to Mr. Brown, are very rare in equinoctial Africa. Only 3 

 species have been found on the west coast; several exist at the Cape of 

 Good Hope. Congo, 464. 



Properties. Common Pepper, so well known for its pimgent, 

 stimulant, aromatic quality, represents the ordinary property of the order, 

 which is not confined to the fruit only, but which pervades all the parts 

 in a greater or less degree. The Cubebs of the shops, remarkable for 

 their extraordinary power of allaying inflammation in the urethra and 

 in the mucous membrane of the intestinal canal, are the dried fruit of 

 Piper cubeba. Ainslie, 1. 98. The chemical principle called Piperin has 

 been found in Black Pepper. Turner, 700. Piper anisatum has a strong 

 smell of Anise, and a decoction of its berries is used to wash ulcers. Betel, 

 an acrid stimulating substance, much used for chewing by the Malays, is the 



