litsea

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• litsea
• mountain-pepper
• pheasant-pepper
• Fragrant Litsea
• Mountain pepper

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Malapoenna cubeba
• Cubeba pipereta
• Benzoin cubeba
• Daphnidium cubeba
• Tetranthera cubeba
• Laurus cubeba
• Persea cubeba

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Laurales, it is classified under the family Lauraceae. Finally, its specific taxonomic placement is within the genus Litsea.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a wide geographical distribution across various regions of East Asia. Within China, it can be found growing in the South-Central, Southeast, and Hainan provinces. Its range also extends into the high-altitude areas of Tibet. Additionally, the species is naturally distributed throughout parts of Eastern Asia, specifically in Japan.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Litsea cubeba is characterized by its broad adaptability across diverse altitudinal gradients, allowing it to inhabit a wide range of montane and tropical environments. It thrives in habitats spanning from low-lying areas at an elevation of 100 m AMSL to high-altitude regions reaching up to a maximum of 3650 m AMSL. On average, the species is most frequently encountered at a mean elevation of 1850 m AMSL, indicating a preference for mid-elevation ecological zones where specific moisture and temperature regimes are maintained. This significant vertical distribution range suggests that the plant can tolerate varying atmospheric pressures and temperature fluctuations, enabling it to persist in multiple distinct forest strata and climatic niches.

Elevational range max:

3650 m AMSL

Elevational range mean:

1850 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

100 m AMSL

Life history

The life history of Litsea cubeba is characterized by its nature as a perennial plant, ensuring its survival across multiple growing seasons. As a phanerophyte, its regenerative buds are located high above the ground on woody stems, a life form trait shared through its classification as both a phanerophyte and a nanophanerophyte depending on its specific structural development. Furthermore, the species exhibits deciduousness, shedding its foliage periodically as part of its seasonal biological cycle.

Deciduousness :

deciduous

Life form :

phanerophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Litsea cubeba is characterized by a woody growth form that primarily manifests as a tree or shrub. This species is a self-supporting plant, lacking any climbing or vining tendencies, and functions as an independent organism rather than a parasite or epiphyte, maintaining a terrestrial existence. In terms of stature, it exhibits significant vertical development, with plant heights ranging from a minimum of 8 m to a maximum of 27 m, reaching a mean height of approximately 8.5 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

tree

Growth form :

shrub

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

27 m

Plant height mean:

8.5 m

Plant height min:

8 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Litsea cubeba is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, indicating its reliance on the standard carbon fixation process common to many woody tropical species. The plant's vegetative structure is defined by its foliage, which features elliptic leaf forms with entire margins and an absence of both thorns and spines. The leaves exhibit significant morphological variation in size, with lengths ranging from a minimum of 4 cm to a maximum of 11 cm, maintaining a mean length of approximately 7.5 cm. Correspondingly, the leaf width varies from a minimum of 1.1 cm to a maximum of 2.4 cm, with an average width of 1.75 cm. Furthermore, Litsea cubeba does not function as a nitrogen fixer, meaning it relies on external soil nutrient availability rather than symbiotic nitrogen fixation to support its physiological processes.

Leaf form :

elliptic

Leaf length max:

11 cm

Leaf length mean:

7.5 cm

Leaf length min:

4 cm

Leaf margin :

entire

Leaf spines :

no

Leaf thorns :

no

Leaf width max:

2.4 cm

Leaf width mean:

1.75 cm

Leaf width min:

1.1 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Litsea cubeba is characterized by specific morphological traits and ecological strategies, beginning with its pollination mechanism, which is noted for the absence of self-fertilization. The plant produces fruits that are remarkably consistent in size, maintaining a uniform dimension with a mean, minimum, and maximum fruit length of 0.5 cm, as well as a mean, minimum, and maximum fruit width of 0.5 cm. Within these fruits, the seeds exhibit a highly stable mass, with a mean, minimum, and maximum seed mass recorded at 0.04984 g. Following maturation, the plant utilizes a zoochorous dispersal syndrome, relying on animals to aid in the spread of its seeds throughout its habitat.

Dispersal syndrome :

zoochorous

Fruit length max:

0.5 cm

Fruit width max:

0.5 cm

Seed mass mean:

0.04984 g

Self fertilization :

absent

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Litsea cubeba has 5 reported plant parts identified across 19 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include root, fruit, leaf, stem, flower.

Root

1. Journal of nanoscience and nanotechnology
2. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
3. Pharmaceutical biology
4. RSC medicinal chemistry
5. Chemistry & biodiversity

Fruit

1. Journal of nanoscience and nanotechnology
2. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
3. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Physiologia plantarum
5. Chemistry & biodiversity

Leaf

1. Journal of nanoscience and nanotechnology
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials
4. Chemistry & biodiversity

Stem

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
2. Chemistry & biodiversity
3. Journal of natural medicines

Flower

1. Chemistry & biodiversity

Chemicals

Litsea cubeba has 24 reported phytochemicals identified across 19 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Flavonoids, (+)-N-(methoxycarbonyl)-N-norboldine, 3,7-Dimethyl-1,6-octadien-3-ol, BETA-PHELLANDRENE, CARVEOL.

Flavonoids

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

(+)-N-(methoxycarbonyl)-N-norboldine

1. Planta medica

3,7-Dimethyl-1,6-octadien-3-ol

1. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials

BETA-PHELLANDRENE

1. Chemistry & biodiversity

CARVEOL

1. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)

Citral

1. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)

Compound-4

1. Journal of natural products

Copaene

1. Journal of biomolecular structure & dynamics

Daucosterol

1. Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology]

Dehydroevodiamine

1. The American journal of Chinese medicine

Activities

Litsea cubeba has 3 reported activities identified across 19 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Antiparasitic.

Antioxidant

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Physiologia plantarum

Antibacterial

1. Physiologia plantarum

Antiparasitic

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Conditions

Litsea cubeba has 17 reported investigations on conditions identified across 19 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include asthma, cold, antioxidant, arthritis, blood pressure.

Asthma

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Cold

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Antioxidant

1. Physiologia plantarum

Arthritis

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Blood pressure

1. The American journal of Chinese medicine

Cancers

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Cardiovascular diseases

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Diarrhea

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Edema

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Gastroenteritis

1. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Preparations

Litsea cubeba has 10 reported preparations identified across 19 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include essential oils, EO, EtOH extract of the twigs, L. cubeba extract, air-dried twigs.

Essential oils

1. Journal of biomolecular structure & dynamics
2. Chemistry & biodiversity

Eo

1. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)

Etoh extract of the twigs

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

L. cubeba extract

1. Pharmaceutical biology

Air-dried twigs

1. Journal of natural products

Alkaloidal extract of the aerial part

1. Planta medica

Essential oil

1. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)

Essential oil extracted from the leaves of litsea cubeba

1. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials

Extract of litsea cubeba fruit

1. Journal of nanoscience and nanotechnology

Fruit eo

1. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)