Piperaceæ

Piperaceæ, a natural order of exogenous plants, natives almost exclusively of the hottest parts of the globe, particularly of Asia and America. About 600 species are known, to most of which the name Pepper (q.v.) is sometimes given, although some are also known by other names, particularly those of which the fruit is not used as a spice, but of which some part is employed for some other purpose, as Betel, Cubebs, Matico, and Ava.