Piper excelsum subsp. psittacorum

Piper excelsum subsp. psittacorum, commonly known as pepper tree or kava, is a flowering plant in the family Piperaceae. The subspecific epithet means “of the parrots”, inferring a liking by parrots for the fruits.[1]

Piper excelsum subsp. psittacorum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Piperales
Family: Piperaceae
Genus: Piper
Species:
P. excelsum
Subspecies:
P. e. subsp. psittacorum
Trinomial name
Piper excelsum subsp. psittacorum
(Endl.) de Lange
Synonyms
  • Piper psittacorum Endl. (1833)
  • Macropiper psittacorum (Endl.) Miq. (1843)
  • Piper excelsum var. psittacorum (Endl.) C.DC. (1869)
  • Macropiper excelsum subsp. psittacorum (Endl.) Sykes (1992)
  • Macropiper excelsum var. psittacorum (Endl.) Laing (1915)
  • Macropiper excelsum f. psittacorum (Endl.) A.C.Sm.

Description

It is a shrub growing to 1.5 m in height. The alternate, aromatic, heart-shaped leaves are usually 80–110 mm long and 80–110 mm wide. The tiny, apetalous flowers, borne on separate male and female inflorescences, appear from July to September. The small, fleshy, orange fruits, 12–14 mm long and sweet when ripe, are produced in December and January.[1][2]

Distribution and habitat

The subspecies is found on Australia’s subtropical Lord Howe and Norfolk islands in the Tasman Sea, as well as on some islands off the northern coast of New Zealand, including the Kermadec Islands in the south-west Pacific Ocean. It occurs in forests and on forest margins at low elevations.[1][2]

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References
  1. "Macropiper excelsum subsp. psittacorum". Flora of Australia Online: Data derived from Flora of Australia Volume 49 (1994). Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS). Retrieved 2014-02-27.
  2. Hutton, Ian (1998). The Australian Geographic Book of Lord Howe Island. Sydney: Australian Geographic. p. 143. ISBN 978-1-876276-27-0.


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