Piper hooglandii, commonly known as kava, is a flowering plant in the family Piperaceae. The specific epithet honours Dutch botanist Ruurd Dirk Hoogland.[1]
| Piper hooglandii | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Piperales |
| Family: | Piperaceae |
| Genus: | Piper |
| Species: | P. hooglandii
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| Binomial name | |
| Piper hooglandii (I.Hutton & P.S.Green) M.A.Jaram. (2008)
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| Synonyms | |
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Description
editIt is a shrub growing to 2–3 m in height. The aromatic, alternate, heart-shaped leaves are 7–12 cm long and 8–13 cm wide. The flowers have no petals; the male flowering spikes are 10 cm long, the female 6 cm. The fleshy, 10 mm diameter berries are hard, red and pungently peppery when ripe. The flowering season is from September to November, with the fruit ripening from March to May.[1][2]
Distribution and habitat
editThe species is endemic to Australia’s subtropical Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. It is locally common as an understorey plant on basaltic soil in moist, shady conditions, from the summits of the island's mountains down to an elevation of about 50 m along streams.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d " Macropiper hooglandii ". Flora of Australia Online: Data derived from Flora of Australia Volume 49 (1994). Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS). Retrieved 2014-02-15.
- ^ Hutton, Ian (1998). The Australian Geographic Book of Lord Howe Island. Sydney: Australian Geographic. p. 143. ISBN 1-876276-27-4.
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