Piper macropiper
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Piper macropiper | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In the Barron Gorge near Cairns, Queensland | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Piperales |
| Family: | Piperaceae |
| Genus: | Piper |
| Species: | P. macropiper |
| Binomial name | |
| Piper macropiper | |
| Synonyms | |
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40 synonyms
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Piper macropiper is a species of plant in the pepper family Piperaceae, native to southeast Asia, Australia and the western Pacific. It was first described in 1800.
Piper macropiper is a creeper or root climber with a stem diameter up to 8 cm (3 in). Leaves are ovate, that is, they are broad at the base and narrow to a point at the apex. They measure up to 16 cm (6 in) long and 10 cm (4 in) wide, with two or three pairs of secondary veins radiating from the midrib close to the base and extending to the leaftip.[5][6]
Inflorescences are spikes up to 13 cm (5 in) long, attached to the stem opposite the leaves by a peduncle about 4 cm (1.6 in) long. This species is dioecious, meaning that pistillate (functionally female) and staminate (functionally male) flowers are borne on separate plants. Flowers are minute, white, and the fruits are also very small, red, and tightly packed together on the spike.[6][5]
Distribution and habitat
It is native to the following regions:[3]
- Mainland and maritime S.E. Asia: Taiwan, Nicobar Islands, Thailand, Borneo, Jawa, Lesser Sunda Islands, Malaya, Maluku, Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatera.
- Australasia: New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Northern Territory, Queensland.
- Western Pacific: Caroline Islands, Samoa, Santa Cruz Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Wallis-Futuna Islands.
In Australia, P. macropiper grows in rainforest at altitudes from sea level to 800 m (2,600 ft).[5]
