Family: Piperaceae
Piper sarmentosum (wild betel) is a dioecious tropical herb native to Southeast Asia and is widely distributed throughout the region, particularly in countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. In various Southeast Asian cuisines, the leaves of Piper sarmentosum are often used as a flavoring agent or eaten raw as part of salads or dishes. They have a slightly peppery taste and are believed to have medicinal properties in traditional medicine systems.
Although widely cultivated, it has only been reported as naturalized in a few locations and is now believed to be naturalizing on the island of Oahu and Maui. Its ability to grow in shaded understories, and to form dense ground cover through vegetative means, suggests that it could compete with certain crop plants or native vegetation in the natural environment.
High Risk Traits:
- Potentially broad elevation range
- Thrives and spreads in regions with tropical climates
- Naturalizing on Oahu and Maui (Hawaiian Islands) and elsewhere
- Reported to be invasive and a potential agricultural or environmental weed of agriculture and the natural environment
- Other species in the genus are invasive weeds
- Potentially allelopathic
- Shade tolerant
- Capable of forming dense ground cover that may compete with or exclude other vegetation
- Reproduces by seeds and vegetatively.
- Drupes and seeds adapted for vertebrate dispersal (birds and other fruit eating animals)
- Also spread through intentional cultivation and as dumped garden waste
Low Risk Traits:
- Unarmed (no spines, thorns, or burrs)
- Palatable to animals and people
- Non-toxic
- Dioecious (requires male and female plants to produce seeds)
- Herbicides reported to provide effective control
