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Piper capense
capense
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Photo: Bart Wursten
Bunga Forest, Vumba
Photo: Bart Wursten
By the Swynnerton Memorial, Chirinda Forest
Photo: Bart Wursten
John Meikle Forestry Estate, Stapleford
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| Synonyms: |
Piper bequaertii De Wild. Piper humblotii C. DC. Piper sacleuxii C. DC. Piper trichopodum C. DC. Piper volkensii C. DC. |
| Common names: | Wild pepper (English) |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
An aromatic evergreen shrub, often straggling; stems weak, greenish, swollen at the nodes. Leaves ovate, rarely elliptic or elliptic-ovate, 5–18 cm long, 3–11-veined from the base, impressed above, prominent beneath, rounded or shortly cordate at the base, thinly textured, discolorous, dark green above, light green or greyish beneath, hairless on both surfaces but with the veins more or less densely pubescent towards the base beneath: petiole up to 8 cm long, grooved above near the base; stipules lanceolate, 1–1.6 cm long, deciduous. Inflorescences consisting of solitary leaf-opposed spikes, terminal, or lateral, creamy-white; peduncles 1.5–5.2 cm long; rhachis up to 8.5 cm long. Fruit sessile, spheric-ovoid, 2–4 mm long. |
| Notes: | The leaves and berries are edible and were once used as a substitute for commercial pepper (Piper nigrum). Two other varieties are known from Zambia and Malawi and from Congo. |
| Derivation of specific name: | capense: of the Cape |
| Habitat: | In the understorey of evergreen forest. |
| Altitude range: (metres) | 650 - 2250 m |
| Flowering time: | Aug - Mar |
| Worldwide distribution: | Widespread in tropical Africa, South Africa, Comoro Islands and Madagascar. |
| Zimbabwe distribution: | E |
| Growth form(s): | Shrub over 2 m. |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Images last updated: | Sunday 4 January 2009 |
| Literature: |
Balle, S. (1948). Piperaceae Flore du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi Volume I Page 17. as Piper capense (Includes a picture). Baumann, G. (2005). Photographic Guide to Wildflowers of Malawi Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi Pages 20 - 21. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 224. (Includes a picture). Coates Palgrave, K. (revised and updated by Meg Coates Palgrave) (2002). Trees of Southern Africa 3rd edition. Struik, South Africa Page 120. Diniz, M.A. (1996). Piperaceae of the Flora Zambesiaca area Kirkia 16(1) Pages 71 - 72. Diniz, M.A. (1997). Piperaceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(2) Pages 27 - 28. Dowsett-Lemaire, F. (1989). The flora and phytogeography of the evergreen forests of Malawi. I: Afromontane and mid-altitude forests; Bull. Jard. Bot. Nat. Belg. 59(1/2) Page 22. Drummond, R.B. (1975). A list of trees, shrubs and woody climbers indigenous or naturalised in Rhodesia. Kirkia 10(1) Page 233. As Piper capense Fabian, A. & Germishuizen, G. (1997). Wild Flowers of Northern South Africa. Fernwood Press, Vlaeburg. Pages 120 - 121. (Includes a picture). Fischer, E. & Killmann, D. (2008). Illustrated Field guide to the Plants of Nyungwe National Park Rwanda. University of Koblenz-Landau. Pages 444 - 445. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 67. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 83. Pooley, E. (1998). A Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Region. Natal Flora Publications Trust. Durban. Pages 132 - 133. (Includes a picture). Schmidt, E., Lötter, M. & McCleland, W. (2002). Trees and shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park Jacana, Johannesburg, South Africa Pages 66 - 67. (Includes a picture). Steedman, E.C. (1933). Some Trees, Shrubs and Lianes of Southern Rhodesia. Page 2. (Includes a picture). Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 144. Timberlake, J.R., Bayliss, J., Dowsett-Lemaire, F., Congdon, C., Branch, B., Collins, S., Curran, M., Dowsett, R,J., Fishpool, L., Francisco, J., Harris, Kopp, M. & de Sousa, C. (2012). Mt Mabu, Mozambique: Biodiversity and Conservation Report produced under the Darwin Initiative Award 15/036. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London Page 74. Troupin, G. (1978). Piperaceae Flore du Rwanda Spermatophytes Volume I Page 284. as Piper capense (Includes a picture). White, F., Dowsett-Lemaire, F. & Chapman, J.D. (2001). Evergreen forest flora of Malawi Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Pages 431 - 432. (Includes a picture). Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 97. |
Other sources of information about Piper capense var. capense:
Our websites:
Flora of Burundi: Piper capense var. capenseFlora of the DRC: Piper capense var. capense
Flora of Malawi: Piper capense var. capense
Flora of Mozambique: Piper capense var. capense
Flora of Rwanda: Piper capense var. capense
Flora of Zambia: Piper capense var. capense
External websites:
African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Piper capenseAfrican Plant Database: Piper capense
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Piper capense
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Piper capense
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Piper capense
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Piper capense
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Piper capense
JSTOR Plant Science: Piper capense
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Piper capense
Plants of the World Online: Piper capense
Tropicos: Piper capense
Wikipedia: Piper capense
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