CCXVIII. SAURUBE^J. 731 



Piperacea are closely allied to Saurureee, from which they are distinguished by their 1-celled ovary 

 and 1-seeded fruit (see this family). They are equally near Chloranthaccee in the achlamydeous flowers, 

 the filaments joined to the ovary, the 1-celled 1-ovuled ovary, orthotropous ovule, sessile stigma, and 

 albuminous seed ; but in Chloranthacece the seed is pendulous, the embryonic sac is not persistent the 

 leaves are always opposite, and their petioles are united into an amplexicaul 2-stipulate sheath. The 

 orthotropy and basilar position of the ovule also bring Piperacece near Urticece, Loranthacece, and even 

 Polygonece, 



Piperaceee, contained between 35 north latitude and 42 south latitude, abound especially in tropical 

 America. They are less numerous in the Indian Archipelago and the Isles of Suuda; whence they spread 

 north and south over the Asiatic continent. Africa is poor.in species ; but some grow in South Africa ; and 

 few more are met with in the African islands. The woody species are especially Asiatic, the herbaceous 

 American. 



Piperacete possess an acrid resin, an aromatic volatile oil, and a crystallizable proximate principle 

 (piperine), which is sometimes present in all parts of the plant, sometimes principally in the root or fruit. 

 The Pepper (Piper nigruni) grows wild and is largely cultivated in Java, Sumatra and Malabar. 

 Its fruit, gathered before it is ripe, dried and pulverized, is the Black Pepper, a spice known in Europe 

 since the conquests of Alexander ; the ripe fruit, macerated in water, then dried and cleared from its 

 pericarp by friction, is White Pepper. The latter is preferred for use at table, but the other is the 

 better stimulant, P. trioicum, which grows in Asia, is as much esteemed as a condiment as P. nigrum. 

 The fruit of the American species, P. citnfolmm, crocutum, Amaktgo, is similarly used. The Long Pepper 

 is the entire spike, gathered before it is ripe, of P. longum, a shrub of the mountains of India. Its young 

 fruits have a still more burning taste than those of Black Pepper. Cubebs (P. Cubeba) grows wild in 

 Java ; its properties are as powerful as those of Black Pepper. Its berries are administered in affections 

 of the urethra. Betel (P. Betel) has bitter aromatic leaves, which the inhabitants of equatorial Asia mix 

 with Areca-nut and lime to form a masticatory, which they use constantly, and which stimulates the 

 digestive organs in hot and damp climates ; but the abuse of it makes the teeth as black as ebony, and 

 the gums vascular. 



The Ava, or Kava (P. methysticum}, is cultivated in the tropical islands of the Pacific ; its root, when 

 bruised, chewed, impregnated with saliva, and mixed with Coco juice, is used to prepare a very 

 intoxicating and narcotic liquor, the frequent use of which is not less pernicious than that of Betel. This 

 root is used as a sudorific by English doctors. Several American species are renowned for their 

 diaphoretic and antispasmodic qualities, as P. crystallimim, rotundifolium, heterophyttum, churumaya, &c., 

 the leaves of which are used in an infusion. A decoction of P. clongatum is administered as an anti- 

 syphilitic in Peru, where also the ripe spikes of P. crooatum yield a saffron-yellow dye. 



CCXVIII. SAURUREJE, L.-C. Richard. 



FLOWERS ?. PERIANTH 0. OVARY l-several-celled ; OVULES ascending, ortho- 

 tropous. SEEDS with farinaceous or horny albumen. EMBRYO antitropous, included on 

 the top of the albumen in the embryonic sac ; RADICLE superior. 



Aquatic or land HERBS, perennial, with a creeping scaly or tuberous rhizome. 

 STEMS either simple or slightly branching, jointed-knotty, cylindric and leafy, some- 

 times -short or obsolete and scapigerous. LEAVES radical or alternate, petioled, 

 entire, reticulate ; petiole sheathing by its dilated base, or adnate to an intra- 

 petiolar sheath split along one side. FLOWERS 2 , leaf-opposed, arranged on a spadix 

 in racemes or dense spikes, terminal, solitary or sometimes geminate, naked or 

 furnished at the base with several coloured spathes, each flower furnished with one 



