Piperaceae

Abstract

The Piperaceae, also known as pepper family, in the order of Piperales, is a family of flowering plants in the clade of Magnoliids, consisting of about 13 genera with approximately 3600 species, distributed in tropical or subtropical regions, mostly in America. Plants are usually succulent herbaceous, shrubs or climbers, often aromatic, and vascular bundles scattered more or less. Stems are sometimes enclosed within a stipule-like sheath apically. Leaves are alternate, rarely opposite or whorled, entire, asymmetrical bilaterally, palmately or pinnately veined. Stipules are adnate to petioles more or less, or not, or absent. Flowers are extremely small, bisexual or unisexual, dioecious, sometimes polygamous, densely arranged to pedunculate spike, or further formed to an umbel, rarely racemose. Inflorescences are opposite to leaves or axillary, rarely apically. Bracts are small, often peltate, rarely cup-shaped or ladle-shaped. Perianth is absent. Stamens are 1–10. Filaments are free. Anthers are two locular, free, or confluence. Pistil are 2–5-carpellate, connate. Ovary is superior, 1-loculed. Ovule is one and orthotropous. Styles are absent or very short. Stigmas are 1–5. Fruit is usually a drupe or nutlet. Seeds are with copious starchy perisperm. Only one species, Peperomia pellucida (Linn.) Kunth, is illustrated in the chapter.