Piper excelsum subsp psittacorum

Location & distribution maps

Plant  information

Common name:         Pepper Tree

• Also, Kava

Conservation status: ...

Etymology:   

• The subspecific epithet means “of the parrots”, inferring a liking by parrots for the fruits

Flowers

• The tiny, apetalous flowers, borne on separate male and female inflorescences, appear from July to September.

Fruit:                            

• he small, fleshy, orange fruits, 12–14 mm long and sweet when ripe, are produced in December and January

Leaves:         

• The alternate, aromatic, heart-shaped leaves are usually 80–110 mm long and 80–110 mm wide

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

• It is a shrub growing to 1.5 m in height

Habitat:   

• It occurs in forests and on forest margins at low elevations

Distribution:                  

• 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

Additional notes:     

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_excelsum_subsp._psittacorum (2023)