O'JC) CTTI. PIPERACE.'E. 



anthers often jointed on the filaments, the cells sometimes confluent; 

 dehiscence longitudinal. Ovary of 3-4 carpels with many ovules ; less 

 commonly ovary 1-celled with 1 ovule ; ovules orthotropous ; stigmas 

 distinct on the fi'ee carpels or ovary-lobes or terminal on the undivided 

 ovary, occasionally solitary, sessile, terminal, simple or penicillate. 

 Fruit small, indehiscent in the 1-celled species or of cocci or follicles in 

 the man)'-carpelled species. Seeds globose, ovoid or oblong ; testa thin; 

 albumen copious, floury ; embryo enclosed in an amniotic cavity at the 

 end of the albumen remote from the hilum ; cotyledons minute or 

 obsolete ; radicle superior. — Distrib. Grenera 8 ; species enumerated 

 exceeding 1000, chiefly tropical American. 



Anther-cells distinct ; fruit tolerably large ; stigmas 3-5, confluent. 1. Piper. 

 Anther-cells confluent ; fruit minute ; stigmas usually penicillate... 2. Peperomi.\. 



1. PIPER, Linn. 



Shrubs (rarely herbs), erect or scandent, often glandular and aromatic ; 

 branches with swollen nodes. Leaves entire, often unequal-sided ; 

 stipules various. Flowers dioecious (very rarely hermaphrodite), minute, 

 spicate, each in the axil of a bract with or without 2 lateral bracteoles ; 

 bracts peltate or cupular and adnate to the rhachis, sometimes decurrent, 

 with or without raised margins ; bracteoles when present forming low 

 ridges on each side of the flower or connate in a semilunar form. 

 Perianth 0. Stamens 2-4 (rarely more) ; filaments short ; anthers 

 2-celled, the cells distinct. Ovary 1-celled ; ovule solitary, erect : style 

 short, conic, beaked or ; stigmas 2-5. Fruit a small ovoid or globose 

 1-seoded berry. Seeds usually globose ; testa thin ; albumen floury 

 within, with hardened periphery. — Disteib. Tropical and subtropical ; 

 species perhaps 300. 



Shrubby, climbing ; flowers in simple spikes, usually dicpcioiis. 

 Glabrous .shrubs. 



Leaves usually acute at the base; fruit jellow 1. P. trichostarhijon. 



Leaves usually rounded at tlie base ; fruit red 'J. P. nifiriim. 



Grey-hirsute; leaves subcordafe at base 3. P. Hookeri. 



Herbaceous, erect ; flowers in subumbellate spikes, herma- 

 phrodite 4. P.suhpeltatum. 



1. Piper trichostachyon, Cass. DC. in DC. Prodr. v. 16, part 1 

 (1869) p. 242. A stout woody climber. Leaves 3-5| by 1-2 in., 

 elliptic-lanceolate, acutely acuminate, dark green and shining above, 

 paler beneath, glabrous, the margins sliglitly revolute, base usually 

 acute, nearly equal-sided, 3-nervcd, with 2 suhopposite nerves a little 

 higher up ; petioles ^-f i'^- l^'^S' glabrous. Flowers in lax more or less 

 interrupted pubescent spikes 3-4 in. long; bracts of male flowers waxy- 

 white, globose, sessih^ furnished within with long hairs between ^^•hich 

 the stamens appear like 2 eyes. Fruit globose, \ in. in diam., yellow. 

 Fl. B. I. V, Ti, p. 80; Talb. Trees, Bomb. ed. 2, p. 278; Woodr. in 

 Journ. Bomb. iS'at. v. 12 (18iJ9) p. 366. Muldera trichostachyn, Miq. in 

 Hook. Lond. Journ. Bot. v. 5 (1846) p. 556; Wight, leon. t. 1944. 



Sfocks without locality in Herb. Kew. I Konkan : Lati]-, Matlieran, Cnokcl 

 Deccan : Khandala, Dcdzell I, Waodrow. Kanarv: evergreen forests, 2'albot. — 

 Flowers: Oct.-Apr. — Distrib. India (W. Peninsula). 



2. Piper nigrum, Linn. Sp. /'/. (1753) p. 28. A stout 2;labroiis 

 climber; stems terete, sparingly rooting, nuicli thiclvcnod at the iio.los. 



