Hi. PIPERACE.E. [1. Piper. 



stipulate. Flowers very minute dioecious, very rarely 2-sexual, 

 spiked, each in the axil of a peltate bract or bract adnate to and 

 sometimes decurrent on the rhachis, lateral bracteoles sometimes 

 present and forming low ridges on each side of the flower or connate 

 in a semilunar form. Stamens 1-4, rarely more, filaments short, 

 anthers 2-celled, cells often confluent by dehiscence. Ovary 1 -celled, 

 style conic beaked or 0, stigmas 2-6. Ovule 1 erect. Fruit baccate. 

 Seed usually globose, testa thin, albumen hard. 



A. Bracts orbicular or obovate, peltate witli margins free. Fruit- 



ing spikes dense, not interrupted : — 



1. Stems slender, creeping or rambling, never climbing : — 



L. cordate, lower long-petioled, upper often amplexicaul. 

 Stamens 2-3. Fem. spikes '5-1 "2" 1. longum. 



2. Stems climbing by adventitious roots, often stout :— 



a. Bracts shortly stipitate : — 



L. not cordate, with 3 primary nerves converging to apex 2. peepidoideg. 



b. Bracts sessile:— 



Midrib with 3-5 rather weak sec. n. not converging to 

 apex. Fruiting spikes under 1"5" conical . . .3. chaha. 



Midrib with one sec. n. each side converging to apex. 

 Fruiting spikes red very fleshy cylindric 1-5" . . .4. betle. 



B. Bracts aduate to the rhachis at base and sides. M. and F. spikes 



very slender in flower. Fruiting spikes interrupted : — 

 L. coriaceous, often glaucous beneath, glabrous or indumentum 



beneath microscopic. Ovary immersed in rhachis . . .5. vigriun, 

 L. membranous, thinly shortly hairy beneath. Ovary sessile 

 with broad base on the pubescent rhachis G attenuatum. 



1. P. longum, L. Pipal (the plant), pipramul (the roots), Th. ; Pipal, 

 H. ; Pipra-mohr, Kharw. ; Narjom-red, Ralli-red, K. ; Ralli, 

 ranu-ran, ^S*. ; Long Pepper. 



A creeping and rambling aromatic herb with distant alternate 

 lower long-petioled deeply cordate, usually ovate or orbicular, upper 

 more oblong and sessile or amplexicaul leaves. Dioecious, Bracts 

 of both sexes stalked peltate with free margins all round. Bracts 

 '05" diam. Bracteoles 0. Male spikes slender, yellow, I'o-S'o" long. 

 Stamens 2-3. Fem. spikes -S-'TS" in flower, up to 1-2" long in fruit, 

 bracts similar to male, but more distant and less stipitate ; ovary 

 sunk in and more or less confluent with the thick rhachia, stigmas 

 3-4 lanceolate spreading papillose. Berries distinct -l" diam. 



In damp ground under shade. Champaran to Purneah, frequent ! Santal Par., 

 -not common ! Singbhum, under dense shade ! Palamau ! Manbhum, Camp. ! 

 Mayurbhanj, in the mountains! Mais of Purl! Angul ! Fl. July-Aug. Fr. 

 Dec- Jan. 



Stems sulcate when dry, usually distinctly puberulous and shoots sometimes 

 pubescent. Normally the leaves are broadly ovate or the lower ones even broader 

 than long and occasionally reniform, but in the Puri specimens most of the leaves 

 are elliptic-oblong 3-5" long, tapering or shortly suddenly acuminate, sometimes 

 all petioled, very closely and minutely dotted rather pale beneath, basal auricles 

 rounded with broad or narrow sinus, principal nerves 3, reaching or nearly 

 reaching and meeting at apex, one (each side) reaching about half way and soon 

 looped and often one shorter additional one near base, nerves and petiole often 

 puberulous, lower petioles 2-3" or often exceeding blade, sometimes all leaves 

 petioled. 



Both root and fruit are stimulant and carminative and used for cough. The 

 root is also used in Chota Nagpur for fermenting rice-beer. It is also said to be a 

 ■valuable alterative tonic and is sometimes used as a spice. 



51 787 



