young shoot icon Home All plants About

Piper amalago L.

Higuillo de limon (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Piperales > Piperaceae > Piper

Characteristics

Shrub, 2-4(-7) m tall. Stem glabrous or minutely pubescent on upper internodes. Prophyll covering shoot apex, 3-8 mm long. Petiole slender, 0.5-1 cm long, vaginate up to middle, glabrous or pubescent; blade lanceolate to rounded or subobovate, 8-11(-15) x 2.5-6(-10) cm, apex acuminate, base equally attached to petiole, acute to subcordate, glabrous or pubescent on veins below; palmately 5-7-veined, tertiary venation obscure. Inflorescence erect; peduncle 0.8-1.5 cm long, glabrous; spike 6-7 cm long, not apiculate; rachis minutely pubescent; floral bracts cucullate, glabrous; thecae divergent, dehiscing partially upward. Fruits ovoid, conical to apex, 1.5-2 mm long, ca. 1 mm in diam., glabrous or papillose, stigmas 3-4, sessile.
More
Shrub, 2-4(-7) m tall. Stem glabrous or minutely pubescent on upper internodes. Prophyll covering shoot apex, 3-8 mm long. Petiole slender, 0.5-1 cm long, vaginate up to middle, glabrous or pubescent; blade lanceolate to rounded or subobovate, 8-11(-15) x 2.5-6(-10) cm, apex acuminate, base equally attached to petiole, acute to subcordate, glabrous or pubescent on veins below; palmately 5-7-veined, tertiary venation obscure. Inflorescence erect; peduncle 0.8-1.5 cm long, glabrous; spike 6-7 cm long, not apiculate; rachis minutely pubescent; floral bracts cucullate, glabrous; thecae divergent, dehiscing partially upward. Fruits ovoid, conical to apex, 1.5-2 mm long, ca. 1 mm in diam., glabrous or papillose, stigmas 3-4, sessile.
A vine or shrub. It can grow 1-4 m tall. The leaves are 5-13 cm long by 3-8 cm wide. The fruit are oval and 1.5-2 mm long.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support -
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 2.0 - 4.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Moist or wet thickets or mixed forest, at elevations up to 2,600 metres in Guatemala.
More
A tropical plant. In Argentina it grows from sea level to 1,500 m above sea level.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

Uses food material medicinal
Edible flowers fruits leaves seeds
Therapeutic use Aphrodisiac (unspecified), Carminative (unspecified), Colic (unspecified), Dysmenorrhea (unspecified), Emmenagogue (unspecified), Pregnancy (unspecified), Stimulant (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified), Digestive (unspecified), Bite(Snake) (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Piper amalago habit picture by Trap Hers (cc-by-sa)
Piper amalago habit picture by Trap Hers (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Piper amalago leaf picture by Trap Hers (cc-by-sa)
Piper amalago leaf picture by pedrogc -- (cc-by-sa)
Piper amalago leaf picture by Trap Hers (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Piper amalago flower picture by Trap Hers (cc-by-sa)
Piper amalago flower picture by pedrogc -- (cc-by-sa)
Piper amalago flower picture by Trap Hers (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Piper amalago world distribution map, present in Argentina, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Barbados, Colombia, Cuba, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Ecuador, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Montserrat, Martinique, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Paraguay, El Salvador, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), and South Africa

Conservation status

Piper amalago threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:680359-1
WFO ID wfo-0000479786
COL ID 4J353
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 447690
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Ottonia plantaginea Piper comayaguanum Piper diguetii Piper henshenii Piper plantagineum Piper saururoides Piper siguatepequense Piper macintoshii Piper medium Piper wulfschlaegelii Piper wilsonii Piper tigerianum Piper victorianum Piper vaccinum Artanthe saururoides Enckea sieberi Enckea sieberi Piper cobanense Piper cojimaranum Piper gracillimum Piper hispaniolae Piper ambiguum Piper richardianum Piper realgoanum Piper syringifolium Piper sieberi Piper villosulum Artanthe plantaginea Chavica syringifolia Enckea vernicea Enckea amalago Enckea plantaginea Piper cubilquitzianum Piper tiguanum Piper lundellianum Piper lundellii Piper decrescens Piper gaumeri Piper berlandieri Piper calvescens Piper pseudoamalago Enckea decrescens Piper calvescens var. potrerillosense Piper calvescens var. pedunculatum Piper calvescens var. cangrejalense Piper calvescens var. aguanum Piper cobanense var. sarculatum Piper gracillimum var. dactoense Piper deamii var. yojoanum Piper siguatepequense var. subrhombifolium Enckea amalago var. hirtella Piper amalago var. medium Piper amalago var. amalago Piper amalago f. ceanothifolium Piper medium var. perglabrum Piper henshenii var. barretoi Piper medium var. laxiflorum Piper medium var. leonardii Piper richardianum var. glabrifolium Piper richardianum var. latilimbum Piper amalago

Lower taxons

Piper amalago var. nigrinodum Piper amalago var. variifolia
WorldFloraDB 2024