Piperaceae

Common name:                Pepper family  

Conservation status:  unknown

Etymology:   

• The name Piperaceae is likely to be derived from the Sanskrit term pippali, Sanskrit: पिप्पली which is originated from Tamil word thippàli,Tamil: திப்பிலி which mean hot sensation on top of tongue and it's belong to pepper family which was used to describe long peppers (like those of Piper longum).

Flowers:                  

• Inflorescences (in the form of spikes) are terminal, opposite the leaves, or located in the axils

• Flowers are bisexual, with no perianth, each flower is subtended by a peltate bract. Stamens are 2–6, and hypogynous, with 2-locular anthers

• There are usually 3-4 stigmas attached to a single pistil per flower, which is 1 or 3-4 carpellate

• The ovary is 1 locular, and superior

Fruit:                         

• Fruits are drupelike, with a single seed per fruit. The seeds have a minute embryo, and mealy perisperm

Stem & branches: 

• The stems can be either simple or branched

Leaves:         

• Leaves are simple with entire margins

• They are positioned at the base of the plant or along the stem,

• Can be alternate, opposite, or whorled in arrangement

• Stipules are usually present, as are petioles

• The leaves are often noticeably aromatic when crushed

Roots:         

• Plants are often rhizomatous, and can be terrestrial or epiphytic

Habit:        

• Small trees, shrubs, or perennial or annual herbs

Habitat:   

• x 

Distribution:                  

•  The distribution of this group is best described as pantropical

Species:                     

• World:            3 600 species,    5 genera

• Australia:      S,    G

• The vast majority of species can be found within the two main genera: Piper (2,171 species) and Peperomia (over 1,000 species)

Additional notes:     

• Use

  • The best-known species, Piper nigrum, yields most peppercorns that are used as spices, including black pepper, although its relatives in the family include many other spices

• Traditional medicinal uses

  • Numerous members of the Piperaceae family are used in the traditional medicinal systems of indigenous population for a wide variety of illnesses. Many studies have been undertaken to investigate these uses, with a large number of them focusing especially on the active ingredient Piperine and related compounds found in many members of this family, especially Black pepper, Long pepper and Betel

• Taxonomy

  • The APG III system of 2009 recognizes this family, and assigns it to the order Piperales in the unranked clade magnoliids 

  • The family consists of five genera: Piper, Peperomia, Zippelia, Manekia, and Verhuellia

  • The previously recognised Pacific genus Macropiper, was recently merged into Piper

  • A tentative cladogram showing relationships based on Wanke et al. (2007) is shown below

  • This phylogeny was based on 6,000 base pairs of chloroplast DNA

  • Only recently has it become clear that Verhuellia is sister to the other four genera in the family.[8]