English: Pepper family.
Genera: Artanthe, Lindeniopiper, Macropiper, Manekia, Ottonia, Peperomia, Piper, Piperanthera, Pothomorphe, Sarcorhachis, Trianaeopiper, Verhuellia, Zippelia.
Synonyms for Piper: Anderssoniopiper,Arctottonia, Artanthe, Chavica, Discipiper, Lepianthes, Lindeniopiper, Macropiper, Ottonia, Pleiostachyopiper, Pleistachyopiper, Pothomorphe, Trianaeopiper.
Botany: 13 genera; 3610 species.
Region: pantropical.
Content: piperine.
BotanySmall trees, shrubs, vines, or perennial or annual herbs; rhizomatous, terrestrial or epiphytic.
Stem: simple or branched; with swollen nodes.
Leaves: simple, entire, at the base or along the stem, alternate, opposite, or whorled, with stipules and petioles; palmately veined; noticeably aromatic when crushed.
Inflorescences: spikes, spadix; terminal, opposite the leaves, or in the axils.
Flowers: bisexual, no perianth, 3 merous, small; subtended by a peltate bract.
Stamens: 2 to 6, hypogynous, 2-locular anthers.
Carpels: 1 to 4; 1 locule; 1 pistil, 3 to 4 stigmas.
Fruit: single, drupelike, minute embryo, mealy perisperm.
SourceKahn, Inshad Ali & others; Piperine, a Phytochemical Potentiator of Ciprofloxacin against Staphylococcus aureus; Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 2006 Feb; 50(2): 810–812; doi: 10.1128/AAC.50.2.810-812.2006.