Piperaceae Giseke

Timothy Utteridge & Gemma Bramley (2020). The Kew Tropical Plant Families Identification Handbook, Second Edition. Kew Publishing Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Note

Herbs, climbers, shrubs and trees; stems often zig-zag and swollen at the nodes. Leaves alternate, often aromatic. Inflorescence a condensed spike. Flowers minute, perianth lacking.

Recognition

Characters of similar families: Araceae: inflorescence with a spathe (bract) and spadix (dense spike of small flowers). Convolvulaceae: usually twining climbers, tubular corolla present and often showy, white or coloured. Dioscoreaceae: twining climbers, ovary inferior and usually winged, fruit a dry capsule. Menispermaceae: leaves often peltate, flowers with 3 or more free carpels, fruit composed of several drupelets, seed curved. Vitaceae: climbers with tendrils, leaf margins dentate to lobed rarely entire, flowers with petals.

Morphology General Habit

Herbs, shrubs, or climbers, rarely trees, usually aromatic; nodes often swollen

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules absent but stem apex sometimes enclosed within a stipule-like sheath, or ligule-like and adnate to petiole (absent in Peperomia)

Morphology Leaves

Leaves simple, alternate, sometimes opposite or whorled (in Peperomia), margins entire, base often asymmetric and cordate, palmately or pinnately veined

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence a pedunculate spike, rarely inflorescences grouped into an umbel, leaf-opposed or axillary, sometimes terminal (more often in Peperomia)

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers small, bisexual or unisexual (plants hermaphroditic, polygamous or dioecious), nearly always sessile; bracts small, usually peltate or cupular; perianth usually lacking; stamens (1–)2(–10) or in two whorls of 3; filaments usually free; anthers 2-locular, distinct or connate, longitudinally dehiscent; ovary superior, 1-locular (formed from 3–4 united carpels in Piper), ovule 1; stigmas 1–5, sessile or with very short styles

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a small berry or drupe; pericarp fleshy, thin or dry, sometimes with sticky papillae (Peperomia) or glochidiate spines (Zippelia)

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seed 1 per fruit.

Distribution

A pantropical family of 5 genera and 3,000–3,600 species; the largest genera are Piper (c. 2,000 species) and Peperomia (c. 1,600 species).

Description Author

Timothy Utteridge

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Morphology General Habit

Herbs, shrubs, or rarely small trees; leaves alternate, opposite or whorled, nearly always simple and entire, palmately or pinnately veined, often succulent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers minute, perfect, without a perianth, whorled or spirally arranged in tail-like spikes that may be terminal, opposite the leaves or rarely axillary, sometimes several together on a common peduncle

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 2–6, rarely more; ovary superior, sessile or rarely stalked, 1-celled, with 1 basal ovule

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a small 1-seeded berry (drupe); seed with both perisperm and endosperm, usually pungently oily.

Distribution

A pantropical family of about 9 genera and perhaps 2,000 species or more, the majority in the Western Hemisphere.