555 



graphia, p. 689) ; but it does not appear to be a suitable 

 substitute for true/* Black Pepper." 



Locally the fruits or small dried berries sold for spice and 

 medicinal use, Nigeria (Dalziel, Hausa, Bot. Voc. p, 76) ; used 

 by the country people to eat with rice and as a purge (drink) in 

 Sierra Leone (Scott Elliot, Herb. Kew) in thickening soup, 

 Lagos (Dawodu, Herb. Kew), as a native medicine for sores, 

 Aquapim, Gold Coast (Murray Ramsay, Herb. Kew) and for 



intense pains of the stomach/' Gold Coast (specimen from 

 African Plantations Ltd. in Herb. Kew). ** Ashanti Pej^per oil " 

 is described as '' colourless to palish-yellow, peppery and at the 

 same time sweetish odour '^ (Schimmel, Semi-Ann. Rep. April 



1914, p. 101). 



A cUmbing shrub reaching a height of from 30-40 ft,, with 

 bright-red fruits. Yields the " bush pepper " of the Sierra 

 Leone Markets (Barter, Herb. Kew) ; sold locally in the markets,* 

 Benin (Unwin, MSS. Report, 1907) ; brought by native merchants 

 from the interior for sale in the Gold Coast markets (Pharm. 

 Journ. [1] xiv. 1854, p. 199; Moloney, For. W. Africa, p. 410). 



Eef. — " On the Ctibeba Clusii of Miguel, the Black Pepper 

 of Western Africa,'* Daniell in Pharm. Journ. xiv. (1854), pp. 

 198-203. 



L 



Piper nigrum, Lijm. Sp. PL (1753), p. 28. 



A cHmbing perennial shrub, including several varieties. 

 Leaves alternate, coriaceous, ovate-acuminate, - prominently 

 nerved, 3 pairs diverging from the midiib near the base, 

 labrous on both sides, dark-green above, pale-green below ; 

 5 in. long, 3 in. broad (in specimen of Kew plant examined ; 

 but Ridley states (Spices, p. 241, that the leaves vary consider- 

 ably — 4-1 0| in. long, 2|-5 in. ^vide) ; petiole 2|- in. (| in. or 

 less — Ridley I.e.), Flowering spikes usually longer than in the 

 foregoing species. Fruit a berry less than | in. in diam. ; and 

 excepting the stalk-like base resembhng P. ciibeba ; reddish to 

 yellow when freshly ripe ; black when dry — the peppercorn of 

 commerce. 



Ill—Rheede, Hort. Mai. vii. t. 12 {M olago-C odi) ; Plukenet, 



Alma 



Blackwell, Herb. ii. 



t. 348 ; Plenck, Ic. t. 25 ; Marsden, Sumatra, t, 1 (habit) ; 



Diet. Sc. Nat. t. 291 ; 



Medic 



t. 21 ; Woodville, Med. Bot. iv. (1832) t. 246 ; Bot. Mag. t. 3139 ; 

 Blanco, Fl. Filip. t. 11; Stephenson & Churchill, Med. Bot. 

 t. 174 ; Guimpel, Abbild. Beschr. t. 229 ; Hajme, Darst. Beschr. 

 Gewachse, xiv. t. 6 ; Burnett, PI. Util. i. t. 13b ; Spach, Suites 



(Hist 



Cur. xxi 



125; Miquel 



Wight, Ic. PI. Ind. Or. vi. 

 t. 1934, tt. 1935-6 {P. trioicum); BaiUon, Hist. PI. iii. p. 469, 

 ff. 503-506 (fl. & fr.); Bentl. & Trimen, Med. PI. t. 245; 

 Kohler, Med. Pflan. ii. ; Planchon & CoUin, Les Drog. Simpl. 

 i. f. 321 ; Journ. Roy. Hort. Soc. xxxv. (1910), p. 369, f. 129 



B 2 



