English: Pepper Elder.
Botany: rather slender, often much branched, evergreen shrub or small tree, evergreen, ± 3 m tall; habitat moist or wet thickets, mixed forest, elevations to 3000 m.
Region: South America.
Use: stems in building small shelters or shacks; treat snake bites; edible, like black pepper,
Piper nigrum, pungent, black fruit, a hot spice.
LiteratureFlora of Jamaica; Fawcett. W. & Rendle. A. B.; British Museum; 1910
The Useful
Plants of West Tropical Africa; Burkil. H. M.; Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew; 1985 - 2004.
Flora Medica; Lindley J; http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org; Longman, Orme, Brown, Green and Longmans: London; 1838.
Botanical Museum Leaflets Vol 11; http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org; Harvard University; Cambridge, Mass; 1945
Economic
Plants of S. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Flora Medica; Lindley J.; http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; Longman, Orme, Brown, Green and Longmans: London; 1838.
Dictionary of Economic
Plants; Uphof. J. C. Th.; Weinheim; 1959
Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Volume 83; http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org; Missouri Botanical Garden.
Medicinal
Plants of the Guianas; DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J.; http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html; Smithsonian Museum
SynonymsEnckea ceanothifolia (Kunth) Kunth
Enckea orthostachya Kunth
Enckea plantaginea (Lam.) Kunth
Enckea sieberi Miq.
Piper adenophlebium Trel.
Piper berlandieri C.DC.
Piper calvescens Trel.
Piper ceanothifolium Kunth
Piper cobanense Trel.
Piper comayaguanum Trel. ex Yunck.
Piper compactum Trel.
Piper conversum Trel.
Piper cubilquitzianum C.DC.
Piper decrescens (Miq.) C.DC.
Piper gaumeri Trel.
Piper gracillimum Trel.
Piper henshenii C.DC.
Piper lundellianum Trel.
Piper lundellii Trel.
Piper medium Jacq.
Piper nicoyanum C.DC.
Piper orthostachyum Kunth
Piper plantagineum Lam.
Piper realgoanum C.DC.
Piper recuperatum Trel.
Piper reticulatum L.
Piper saururoides Desv. ex Ham.
Piper sieberi (Miq.) C. DC.
Piper siguatepequense Trel.
Piper syringaefolium Balb. ex Kunth
Piper tenuipes C.DC.
Piper tigerianum C.DC.
Piper tiguanum C.DC.
Piper tilaranum Trel.
Piper victorianum C.DC.
Piper wilsonii Trel.
Piper xanthoneurum Trel.