Jamaican pepper

Language English

Onglets

Description

This shrub or small tree grows 3 to 6 m tall. Its leaves are 8 to 20 cm long. Its small flowers are bunched together in a single spike. Its small, fleshy fruit, each containing a single seed, grows on this 9 to 12 cm long spike.

Reproduction

This species flowers mainly at the end of the dry season and the beginning of the rainy season. Its fruit appears during the rainy season. The trees are completely sterile by the end of the rainy season. The photosensitive seeds may germinate in the understory in the primary forest.

Habitat, distribution

This pioneer plant grows in full sun in open areas in the initial secondary forest, where it forms colonies. It can also survive in the understory in the primary forest. It is found in the West Indies and Central America.

Ecology

Bats eat its fruit and disperse its seeds. They grasp the spikes in their mouths as they fly by a tree.

Uses and effects

Some peoples in South America use this species as a medicinal plant. Its leaves are chewed to prevent cavities and to heal mouth ulcers. A decoction of the leaves is used to treat malaria. Women drink an infusion of the leaves during menstruation.

Scientific name

Piper hispidum Sw.

French name

Piper hispidum

Plant form

Broadleaf tree

Family

Piperaceae

Menu header en

Languages

Space for life

About Us

Menu header Billetterie en

Global menu

Space for Life on social media

Explore the splendours of the sky

Monthly Sky

Support the Space for Life

Montréal Space for Life Foundation

Subscribe to the Naturally curious newsletter

School newsletter

Our institutions’ expertise

Research and conservation at Space for Life

Jamaican pepper

Onglets

Description

Reproduction

Habitat, distribution

Ecology

Uses and effects

Scientific name

French name

Plant form

Family

Add this

Footer - Column 1

Footer - Column 2

Footer - Column 3

Footer - Column 4

Bloc menu © All rights reserved, Ville de Montréal