Pepper tree facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Piper excelsum subsp. psittacorum |
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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: | |
| Subspecies: |
P. e. subsp. psittacorum
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| Trinomial name | |
| Piper excelsum subsp. psittacorum (Endl.) de Lange
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| Synonyms | |
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Piper excelsum subsp. psittacorum is a cool plant often called the pepper tree or kava. It's a type of flowering plant that belongs to the Piperaceae family. Its scientific name, psittacorum, means "of the parrots." This hints that parrots might really enjoy its fruits!
What Does It Look Like?
This plant is a shrub that can grow up to 1.5 meters (about 5 feet) tall. Its leaves are heart-shaped and have a nice smell. They are usually about 80–110 millimeters (3–4 inches) long and just as wide.
Flowers and Fruits
The pepper tree has tiny flowers that don't have petals. These flowers grow on separate male and female inflorescences (flower clusters). They usually appear between July and September.
The plant produces small, juicy, orange fruits. These fruits are about 12–14 millimeters long. They are sweet when they are ripe and usually appear in December and January.
Where Does It Grow?
This special plant is found on islands in the Tasman Sea, which is between Australia and New Zealand. You can find it on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island, which are part of Australia.
It also grows on some islands off the northern coast of New Zealand, like the Kermadec Islands in the south-west Pacific Ocean. You'll usually spot it in forests or along the edges of forests, especially in areas that are not too high up.
