Piperaceae

Piper aduncum

Common Names: Spiked pepper

Plant Form: Multi stemmed shrub or small tree. Size: Up to 7 m tall. Stem: Smooth and grey to green. Erect and with swollen purplish nodes. Leaves: Elliptic to lance shaped, up to 22 cm long, upper surface green and rough, lower surface paler and hairy. Alternately arranged in 2 rows on opposite sides of branchlets. Flowers: White to pale yellow in spirals on spikes up to 12 cm long which droop near the tip. Fruit and Seeds: Numerous berries embedded onto flower spike, green turning black when ripe, with single black seed within. Habitat: Clearings, roadsides, pastures, plantations. Distinguishing Features: Grows as a multi-stemmed shrub or small tree, whereas most native Piper species are vines. Impacts: Forms dense thickets reducing native species and agricultural productivity.