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Comprehensive Description

provided by Smithsonian Contributions to Botany
Peperomia ponapensis C. de Candolle var. ponapensis

Peperomia ponapensis C. de Candolle, Bot. Jahrb., 56:504–505, 1921 [type from Ponape, Ledermann 13914, not seen by us].—Stone, Micronesica, 1:155, 1964.

Peperomia pallida sensu Schumann, Bot. Jahrb., 9:198, 1888 [non (Forster f.) A. Dietrich, Spec. Pl., ed. 6, 1:153, 1831].

Peperomia gibbonsii C. de Candolle, Bot. Jahrb., 56:504, 1921 [type from Marshall Is., Ailinglapalap, Gibbons 1072].—Kanehira, Enum. Micr. Pl., 303, 1935.—Hosokawa, Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Formosa, 25:119, 1935.—Yuncker, Occ. Pap. Bishop Mus., 14:10–12, 1938; 22:104, 1959.—Fosberg, Phytologia, 13:241, 1966.

Peperomia volkensii C. de Candolle, Bot. Jahrb., 56:503, 1921 [type from Kusaie, Volkens 2, not seen by us].—Kanehira, Enum. Micr. Pl., 304, 1935.—Hosokawa, Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Formosa, 25:119, 1935.—Yuncker, Occ. Pap. Bishop Mus., 14:17, 1938; 22:102, 1959.—Fosberg, Phytologia 13:240–241, 1966.

Endemic to the Eastern Caroline and Marshall islands. Found mainly at very low elevations, growing on limestone and basalt rocks, frequently on walls of ruins.

USES.—“The plants are used medicinally” (Yuncker, 1959:22:103).

VERNACULAR NAMES.—

warin (Pingelap: St. John 21475, Glassman 2650)

rabikiaga (Lae: Fosberg 34027)

rapisrage (Ailinglapalap: de Candolle, 1921:504; Gibbons 1072)

drebijdreke = holding rocks (Arno: Stone 1082, Anderson 3745, Hatheway 849)

rebijrege (Jaluit: Fosberg 26734)

GEOGRAPHIC RECORDS AND SPECIMENS EXAMINED

CAROLINE ISLANDS.—Ponape: s.l. Ledermann 13986 (G); de Candolle, 1921:504–505 (citing Ledermann 13914, from Matalanim, type, not seen by us); Matalanim District, Sabera, Glassman 2760? (US); Nanmatol I., Fosberg 26379 (US, BISH, Fo, NY, L, DPU), 1–3 m, Fosberg 26377 (US, BISH, Fo, NY, DPU); Nanmatol ruins, Matalanim, Hatusima 11124 (FU), Kanehira 858 (FU); Jokaazi Rock, near Kolonia, Hatusima 10976 (FU), 10977 (NY).

Pingelap: On coral stone wall in moist forest, near lagoon beach, St. John 21475 (US, BISH); Pingelap I., Glassman 2650 (US, BISH).

Kusaie: Kamiya 267 (TI); de Candolle, 1921:503, Yuncker 1938:17, 1959:102 (all as P. volkensii, citing Volkens 2, type from Lele I., not seen by us); Lele I., 1–5 m, Fosberg 26538 (US, BISH, Fo, NY, L, DPU); Rero-Taonsak, Hosokawa 6177 (A), near Maarem, 200 m, Hatusima 11144 (FU).

MARSHALL ISLANDS.—Lae: Lae I., very rare, one colony on rocks in Barringtonia forest, Fosberg 34027 (US, BISH, Fo, NY, L, DPU).

Ailinglapalap: de Candolle, 1921:504, Yuncker, 1938:10–12, 1959:104 (all as P. gibbonsii, citing Gibbons 1072, type); Gibbons 1072 (G), fragment seen by us.

Arno: West side Taklepeg I. (E. Taklep), Stone 1032 (Fo); Kijbwe I., Anderson 3745 (US, BISH, Fo, NY, L, DPU); Arno I., Hatheway 791 (US, BISH, Fo, NY, L); Takleb Ej I., Hatheway 849 (US, BISH, Fo, NY, L).

Mili: Stone, 1964:155, casual record, probably this species.

Jaluit: Imruj (Imrodj) I., Fosberg 26734 (US, BISH, Fo, NY, L, DPU).

Ebon (Boston): Schumann, 1888:198 (as P. pallida, citing a Finsch specimen not seen by us); de Candolle, 1921:503; Kanehira 1935:304 (both as P. volkensii, citing Finsch n.l, not seen by us).
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bibliographic citation
Fosberg, F. Raymond and Sachet, Marie-Hélène. 1975. "Flora of Micronesia, 2: Casuarinaceae, Piperaceae, and Myricaceae." Smithsonian Contributions to Botany. 1-32. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.24

Comprehensive Description

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Peperomia ponapensis var. trukensis (Yuncker) Fosberg

Peperomia ponapensis var. trukensis (Yuncker) Fosberg, Phytologia 13:241, 1966 [type from Truk, Tol I., Takamatsu 21].—Hosokawa, Jour. Jap. Bot., 13:200–201, 1937a; Bull. Biogeogr. Soc. Jap. 7:188, 1937b [both as P. ponapensis C. de Candolle].

Peperomia trukensis Yuncker, Occ. Pap. Bishop Mus., 14:23–24, 1938; 22:108, 1959.

Stems, petioles, leaf blades and peduncles more or less subappressed hirtellous, blades ciliate almost all around.

Some specimens, such as Fosberg 24550, are so densely hirtellous that they could be mistaken for P. palauensis, but the rachis is glabrous.

Found in Truk and rarely on Ponape, on rocks at low to middle altitudes.

GEOGRAPHIC RECORDS AND SPECIMENS EXAMINED

CAROLINE ISLANDS.—Truk: Yuncker, 1938:23–24, 1959:108; Hosokawa 1937a:201, 1937b: 188 (all as P. trukensis). Moen (Wara): Wara Mt., Tukuman, Hosokawa 8473 (BISH, A). Dublon (Natusima): Hosokawa 8360 (US, BISH, A); upper ridges and top of Mt. Tolomen (Tolowan), 200–360 m, Fosberg 24550 (US, BISH, Fo, DPU). Tol: s.l., Stone 5336 (BISH); Suyoto, Takamatsu 21 (BISH, type); Uriribot, Hosokawa 8283 (BISH, A); 8251 (BISH, A).

Ponape: Yuncker, 1959:108 (as P. trukensis); Jokaj (Gyokazi, Jokaazi), Hosokawa 6054 (BISH, A); Hatusima 10977, part (FU).

Piper L.

Piper L., Gen. Pl., ed. 5, 18, 1754 [=1753].

Chavica Miquel, Syst. Pip., 222, 1843.

Macropiper Miquel, Comment. Phytogr. 35, 1840.

Shrubs or climbers, mostly aromatic, with alternate, simple, frequently stipulate leaves with expanded bases, scars extending around nodes; spikes or racemes axillary or leaf-opposed (may be paniculate or umbellate outside Micronesia); flowers bisexual or unisexual and then often dioecious, surrounded by 3 scale-like or peltate bracts, these separate or connate; stamens several; stigmas 2–4 or more, fruit a fleshy drupe, often immersed in the swollen fleshy rachis or connate with the bracts.

Pantropical, a few species in Micronesia. Common shrubs in undergrowth and small openings in forest, or climbing on tree trunks and creeping on ground. Several species are of economic importance, including the black pepper of commerce, cubebs, and the betel pepper.
license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
bibliographic citation
Fosberg, F. Raymond and Sachet, Marie-Hélène. 1975. "Flora of Micronesia, 2: Casuarinaceae, Piperaceae, and Myricaceae." Smithsonian Contributions to Botany. 1-32. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.24

Comprehensive Description

provided by Smithsonian Contributions to Botany
Peperomia ponapensis C. de Candolle

Peperomia ponapensis C. de Candolle, Bot. Jahrb., 56:504, 1921.—Kanehira, Enum. Micr. Pl., 304, 1935.—Hosokawa, Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Formosa, 25:119, 1935; Jour. Jap. Bot., 13:200, 1937a; Kudoa, 5:95, 1937b—Yuncker, Occ. Pap. Bishop Mus., 14:17, 1938; 22:102–103, 1959.—St. John, Pac. Sci., 2:108, 1948.—Glassman, Bishop Mus. Bull., 209:54, 1952.—Fosberg, Atoll Res. Bull., 39:7, 1955 [as Peperomia sp.]; Phytologia, 13:240–241, 1966.—Stone, Micronesica, 1:155, 1964 [as Peperomia].

Herb up to 40 cm tall, leaves and branching opposite and alternate, usually on same plant, where alternate with a tendency to an appearance of a branch opposite to a leaf, though this may be merely a matter of the original shoot being crowded aside by an axillary branch, often with a leaf-scar opposite an apparently alternate leaf; leaf blades broadly elliptic to obovate, up to 3.5 cm wide and 5.5 cm long, 5 or 3 nerved, when 5, the outer pair weaker, all originating at base, apex obtuse to bluntly acute or slightly acuminate, petiole up to 15 mm long, lower leaves often reduced and tending to be orbicular; spikes pedunculate, terminal and in upper axils of opposite leaves, leaf-opposed to alternate leaves, with some tendency to paniculate arrangement, up to 7 cm long, more loosely flowered toward base, some tendency toward earlier flowering at base of spike; fruit globose, notably papillate-glandular.

This species is here given a much broader circumscription than by previous authors. The reduction of P. volkensii C. de Candolle, P. gibbonsii C. de Candolle, and P. trukensis Yuncker has been discussed elsewhere (Fosberg, 1966). Since that paper was published, we have examined a fragment of the type of P. gibbonsii in the de Candolle Herbarium at Geneva (Gibbons 1072). It is a single spike with several immature and mature fruits. The latter are globose. Several stigmas are bifid, the character on which P. gibbonsii was founded. Other stigmas appear entire, but these are very poorly developed. Our conclusions as to uniting this species with P. ponapensis remain unchanged.

Also at Geneva we examined a fragment of Ledermann 13986, from Ponape. This is not the type of P. ponapensis, nor was it cited with the original description, but it was so named by C. de Candolle. It appears to be this species as usually understood, with alternate, slightly obovate acutish leaves.

We have not seen authentic material of P. volkensii C. de Candolle, which was based on Volkens 2 from Kusaie and Finsch 1 from Ebon, Marshall Islands, but we have material from the exact type-locality, Lele Islet Kusaie, Fosberg 26538, which agrees well with this species. We consider that Yuncker (1959) by stating that P. volkensii is endemic to Kusaie has effectively lectotypified it.

Endemic to the eastern Carolines—Truk, Ponape, Pingelap, and Kusaie—and the central to southern Marshalls—Lae, Ailinglapalap, Arno, Jaluit, and Ebon atolls. The records from the Marianas admitted by Yuncker are here referred to the very similar P. mariannensis C. de Candolle. A specimen from Alamagan, Northern Marianas, Falanruw 1923, keys to this species and was referred there at first by us. On reconsideration, however, it could be an aberrant individual of P. mariannensis and is cited under that species. Two varieties may be distinguished.
license
cc-by-nc-sa-3.0
bibliographic citation
Fosberg, F. Raymond and Sachet, Marie-Hélène. 1975. "Flora of Micronesia, 2: Casuarinaceae, Piperaceae, and Myricaceae." Smithsonian Contributions to Botany. 1-32. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.24