Lolot pepper, Vegetable pepper
Piper sarmentosum

Family: Piperaceae

What it is like

A creeper with an erect stem. It is 50 cm high. The creeper or vine can be 10 m long. There are very fine powdery hairs when young. The leaves are finer and more tender than Piper betel. They are brighter green with distinct veins. The leaf stalk is 2-5 cm long. The leaf blades are larger near the base. They are 7-14 cm long by 6-13 cm wide. The leaf base is rounded or heart shaped and tapers to a short tip. The fertile stem stick upwards. The spikes are opposite the leaves. The spikes hang downwards. The male spikes are white and 1.5-2.5 cm long by 2-3 mm wide. The female spikes are 2-5 cm long by 8 mm wide in fruit. The fruit is 4 angled and 2.5-3 mm across. The fruit is a single seeded berry.

There are between 1000-2000 Piper species. They are mostly in the tropics. It is used in medicine. It possibly has anti-cancer properties. It has 10.1 mg per 100 g dry weight and 6.0 mg fresh weight of alpha-tocopherol (Vitamin E).

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in forests in wet places near villages and from near sea level to 1000 m altitude in S China. It does best is shady places. It grows in humid locations in forests. In Hawaii it is grown under shade cloth. Dry winds turn the leaves brown spoiling their appearance. In Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Andamans, Asia, Australia, Cambodia, China, East Timor, India, Indochina, Indonesia (country/location of origin), Laos, Malaysia, Marquesas, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The leaf is slightly pungent and is eaten raw. They are also added to curries or blanched and eaten as a potherb. The leaves are used to wrap an Asian snack dish. They are also used in soups. The dried fruit is used as a spice. The leaves are chewed with betle nut. The leaves are used as a flavouring for meat dishes.

It is popular in Thailand. It is cultivated.

Edible parts

Leaves, fruit, spice

How it is grown

It is grown by stem cuttings.

Its other names

Local names

Aimanas ai leten, 'i: le:d, Bo la lot, Cabean, Cha phlu, Cha plu, Chabai, Chaphlu, Chhiplou, Chi phlu, Chiaobiouluo, Daun kadok, Jia ju, Julo, Kadok batu, Karuk, l(oos)t tat ph(aws)t, La lot, Lot, Morech ansai, Nom wa, Pa dan, Pa die, Pake, Pak ereart, Patai-butu, Phak i leut, Phak iloed, Phlu ling, Pipali sag, Poivre lolot, Sirih tanah, Tat bat, Ti(ee)u

Synonyms

Chavica hainana C.DC; Chavica sarmentosa (Roxburgh) Miquel; Piper albispicum C DC; Piper brevicaule C DC; Piper gymnostachyum C DC; Piper lolot C DC; Piper pierrei C DC; Piper saigonense C DC;