The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Piper excelsum subsp. excelsum

Etymology

Piper: Pepper
excelsum: tall

Common Name(s)

kawakawa, pepper tree

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Not Threatened

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2009 - Not Threatened
2004 - Not Threatened

Qualifiers

2012 - Sp

Authority

Piper excelsum G.Forst.

Family

Piperaceae

Brief Description

Fleshy shrub with jointed dark twigs bearing large dark green glossy heart-shaped leaves with hard green flower spikes inhabiting south to Banks Peninsula. Leaves to 120mm wide, veins radiating from middle, peppery to taste, often with insect holes. Fruit orange.

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

PIPESE

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs

Synonyms

Macropiper excelsum (G.Forst.) Miq. subsp. excelsum

Distribution

Endemic. North and South Islands. Common from te Paki south to about Okarito, North Canterbury and Banks Peninsula.

Habitat

Coastal to lowland (extending up 500 m a.s.l. in warmer parts of the country). Usually an important understorey species in coastal forest.

Features

Small tree to at least 5 m tall; stems erect (occasionally layering), not notably lenticellate, new shoots red-green or green (leaf nerves, petioles and new sterns with reddish colouring), taste peppery; pith of axes (including rachis of spike) without a mucilage core. Prophyll a collar to 0.3 (-2.2) mm high. Leaf blades submembranous, orbicular, suborbicular, at vegetative nodes to 100(-120) mm diameter, usually with 5-8 principal nerves, cordate at base, with a very narrow or closed sinus, occasionally basal lobes overlapping, upper surface of blade not bullate; petiole to 40(-60) mm long, c.0.4×as long as blade, the sheath 0.3-1.0(-2)× as long as non-sheathing part, truncate-rounded at apex and not produced there, the non-sheathing part of petiole to 4.0 mm diameter. Inflorescences solitary or 2-3 together on a short (rarely more than 10 mm long) axillary shoot, and (usually solitary) on the adjacent terminal shoot (occasionally this shoot not fertile); reduced leaf at apex of fertile shoot with a glabrous petiole and usually with a green oblong lamina at least 5 mm long, but lamina often ± lacking, especially on terminal fertile shoot. Female inflorescence erect in flowering and remaining so into fruit, peduncle to c. 1.5 cm long, spike to 60(-100) × c.6 mm diameter, with uniseriate usually 5-10-cellular hairs to 0.15 mm long on lower part of bract stalks and sparingly on rachis, these hairs not obvious on the peduncle just below the lowermost bracts; bracts peltate, bract heads 0.40-0.75 mm diameter; flowers at full emergence centred c.1.3 mm apart, emergent part of ovary ovoid; stigmas 3-4(-5), together c. 1.2 mm diameter. Male inflorescence erect, spike to c.110 mm long, proximally c.6 mm diameter, bracts and hairs as in female inflorescence; staminal filaments c. 0.25 mm long, anthers c.1.00 × 0.75 mm wide. Ripe infructescence c.10 mm diameter; fruitlets coalescent, sunken apically about the persistent dark stigmas, exocarp and mesocarp orange; seed oblong to slightly obovoid, apiculate at apex, c.2.0 × 1.5 dark brown, with (3-)4-5(-7) broad longitudinal furrows.

Similar Taxa

Distinguished from the other subspecies by the wine-red to purple-black stems and petioles, and by the leaves which are never peltate, though on some of the Hauraki Gulf Islands, Tuhua (Mayor Island) and Chatham Islands plants often have overlapping leaf bases.

Flowering

August - November

Fruiting

Throughout the year

Propagation Technique

Easily grown from semi-hardwood cuttings and fresh seed. An attractive small tree that does best in dappled light, within a free draining but permanently moist soil. Very shade tolerant. Cold sensitive and will not tolerate frost.

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 26

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 7 Apr 2019