374 PEPPER FAMILY. 



XCVTH. PIPERACEffl, PEPPER FAMILY. 



Herbs (or the cultivated species sometimes woody) with 

 alternate or opposite, entire leaves, and wholly naked generally 

 perfect flowers in spikes, the ovary single or 3-5 together, and 

 either separate or more or less united at the base, the ovules 

 few in Saururus or only 1 in some other genera. Mostly 

 tropical. 



* Ovary of 3-4 carpels slightly united at the base. 



1. SAURURUS. Stamens 6-8, hypogynous, the long white filaments distinct. Stigmas 

 recurved. Leaves alternate. 



* * Ovary simple, 1-seeded. 



1. PIPER. Stamens 2-6, the anther cells generally distinct. Stigmas 8-6 (rarely 2). 



Leaves alternate. 

 8. PEPEROMIA. Stamens 2, the cells united in 1 2-valved cell. Stigma sessile. Leaves 



alternate, opposite, or verticillate. 



1. SAURURUS, LIZARD'S TALL. (Greek: lizard-tail, from the 

 peduncled terminal spike.) "ii 



S. ce"rnuus, Linn. Wet swamps and borders of brooks, Conn., W. 

 and S. ; stem jointed, 2° high, branching ; leaves heart-shaped, with con- 

 verging ribs, petioled ; flowers white and fragrant, crowded in a dense 

 but slender tail-like spike, with the end nodding. (Lessons, Kg. 234.) 



2. PIPER, PEPPER. (Ancient name.) A large genus of tropical 

 plants, in greenhouses sometimes represented by 



P. nigrum, Linn. Pepper Plant. A trailing or climbing woody 

 plant, with broadly ovate and acuminate petioled leaves ; flowers in cat- 

 kins 3'-6' long, the fruit changing from green to red and black. E. Indies. 

 Black Pepper is the product of this plant. White Pepper is the same 

 product with the external covering removed. Cubebs are from P. Cc- 

 beba, of the E. Indies. 



3. PEPEROMIA. (Name means Pepper-like.} Many tropical species, 

 of which several are in cultivation in greenhouses for their variously 

 marked leaves, which are usually thick or somewhat succulent. Fol- 

 lowing are the commonest, all from S. Amer. 



* Leaves alternate. 



P. Sandersii, CDC. (P. Verschaefeltii.) Leaves long-stalked, 

 orbicular or cordate-ovate, thick, bright green along the veins and white 

 between. 



P. arifblia, Miq. Leaves long-stalked, round-ovate, cordate or retuse- 

 truncate at the base, thinnish, variegated with green and gray. 



P. maculbsa, Dietr. Leaves broadly elliptic-ovate and very fleshy, 

 bright green, the petioles spotted with purple. 



* # Leaves opposite. 



P. marmor&ta, Hook. f. Leaves ovate and crowded, thick, with a rich 

 green mottled and variegated with white. 



