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 | |
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| Piper excelsum subsp. psittacorum herbarium specimen collected from the Kermadec Islands | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Piperales |
| Family: | Piperaceae |
| Genus: | Piper |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | P. e. subsp. psittacorum
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| Trinomial name | |
| Piper excelsum subsp. psittacorum (Endl.) de Lange
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| Synonyms | |
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Description
editIt 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
editThe 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]
References
edit- ^ a b c "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.
- ^ a b 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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