Occurrence (Special Areas) :
Indroda Park, Ayurvedic Udyan, Van Chetana Kendra
About Piper longum Plant :
Habit : A perennial slender, aromatic climber, glabrous with branches soft angular and grooved when dry, perennial woody roots, creeping and jointed stems.
Leaves :
Numerous, broadly ovate or oblong-oval, dark green and shining above, pale and dull beneath. The older leaves are dentate, dark in color and heart shaped.
The younger leaf is ovate in shape and contains 5 veins on them.Lower leaves long-petioled, ovate-cordate upper narrower oblong-cordate sessile amplexicaul.
Inflorescence : Male spikes 1-3 in. female 0.5-2/3 in.
Flowers : Flowers are monoceous and male and female flowers are borne on different plants.
Fruits :
Fleshy fruits embedded in the spikes, long, attains red color when ripens and on drying becomes black colored.
It is one inch in diameter.
Flowering and Fruiting Time : During Monsoon season.
Significance :
Cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning.
It is also used for enhancing digestion, assimilation and metabolism of the foods we eat.
