hoja santa

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Mexican pepperleaf
• ear-leaf pepper
• sacred pepper
• Root Beer Plant
• false 'awa
• false kawa

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Schilleria aurita
• Piper sanctum
• Piper auritum var. schiedeanum
• Artanthe sancta
• Artanthe seemanniana
• Artanthe aurita
• Piper auritum var. seemannianum
• Piper auritum var. amplifolium
• Piper alstonii
• Piper heraldii
• Piper heraldii var. amplius
• Piper heraldii var. cocleanum
• Piper perlongipes
• Piper auritilaminum
• Piper auritilimbum

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, specifically falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Piperales, it is classified under the family Piperaceae. Finally, it is identified by the genus Piper and the specific species Piper auritum.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a diverse geographical range that spans across both the Pacific Islands and parts of the Americas. Within the Pacific region, its distribution includes Samoa in the Southwestern Pacific and the Caroline Islands in the Northwestern Pacific. It can also be found in the North-Central Pacific, specifically in Hawaii. Moving toward the Americas, the species is located in Central Mexico. Finally, its range extends to the Southeastern United States, where it is present in Florida.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Piper auritum is characterized by its preference for forest environments, where it thrives under the protection of canopy cover and consistent moisture levels. This species exhibits a broad altitudinal distribution, allowing it to occupy diverse ecological niches across varying landscapes. Its elevational range extends from sea level (0 m AMSL) up to a maximum altitude of 2000 m AMSL, demonstrating significant adaptability to different temperature gradients and atmospheric pressures within its forested habitats.

Elevational range max:

2000 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Habitat :

forest

Life history

The life history of Piper auritum is characterized by its status as a perennial plant, allowing it to persist through multiple growing seasons and establish a stable presence within its ecosystem. Throughout its development, the plant maintains an evergreen habit, ensuring that its foliage remains functional and photosynthetic year-round rather than shedding leaves seasonally. This combination of a long-lived life cycle and continuous foliage retention enables the species to maintain consistent growth patterns and provide steady biological activity across various environmental conditions.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Piper auritum is characterized by a robust, woody growth form that can manifest as either a shrub or a tree. This plant typically reaches an average height of 2.5 m, though it has the capacity to grow up to a maximum height of 5 m. As a terrestrial species, it is neither aquatic nor an epiphyte, maintaining an independent life cycle without relying on other plants for support or nutrients. While it possesses a self-supporting structure rather than acting as an obligatory or facultative climber, its substantial woody development provides the necessary stability for its stature.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

shrub

Growth form :

tree

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

5 m

Plant height mean:

2.5 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Piper auritum is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, indicating a carbon fixation process typical of most temperate and tropical understory plants that rely on the enzyme Rubisco. In terms of its structural composition, the plant exhibits a highly consistent stem specific density (SSD) with a mean, minimum, and maximum value of 110 mg/cm³, suggesting a uniform tissue density throughout its stem development. Its leaf morphology is defined by a stable leaf dry matter content (LDMC), which maintains a constant mean, minimum, and maximum value of 212.6 mg/g, reflecting a specific level of leaf toughness and nutrient concentration within the foliar tissues. Additionally, the species does not function as a nitrogen fixer, meaning it relies on external soil nitrogen sources rather than symbiotic biological nitrogen fixation to support its metabolic requirements.

Leaf dry matter content (LDMC) mean:

212.6 mg/g

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Stem specific density (SSD) min:

110 mg/cm³

Reproduction

The reproduction of Piper auritum is characterized by the production of fleshy fruits, categorized under the "other" fruit type classification. These fruits facilitate a zoochorous dispersal syndrome, meaning they rely on animals for the distribution of their seeds. The seeds themselves are notably uniform in their physical dimensions, maintaining a consistent mean, minimum, and maximum seed length of 1.8 mm. Similarly, the seed volume is highly stable, with a mean, minimum, and maximum value of 0.13 mm³. In terms of mass, the seeds are quite light and exhibit no variation in the provided data, with a constant mean, minimum, and maximum seed mass of 0.009 g.

Dispersal syndrome :

zoochorous

Fruit dryness :

fleshy

Fruit type :

other

Seed length mean:

1.8 mm

Seed mass mean:

0.009 g

Seed volume max:

0.13 mm³

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Piper auritum has 2 reported plant parts identified across 3 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf, stem.

Leaf

1. Journal of natural products
2. Pharmacognosy research

Stem

1. Journal of natural products

Chemicals

Piper auritum has 59 reported phytochemicals identified across 3 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include 1,8-Cineole, ALPHA-CARYOPHYLLENE, ALPHA-PHELLANDRENE, ALPHA-PINENE, ALPHA-THUJENE.

1,8-Cineole

1. Dr. Duke

ALPHA-CARYOPHYLLENE

1. Dr. Duke

ALPHA-PHELLANDRENE

1. Dr. Duke

ALPHA-PINENE

1. Dr. Duke

ALPHA-THUJENE

1. Dr. Duke

Alpha terpinene

1. Dr. Duke

Ash

1. Dr. Duke

BETA-PHELLANDRENE

1. Dr. Duke

BETA-PINENE

1. Dr. Duke

BETA-SITOSTEROL

1. Dr. Duke

Activities

Piper auritum has 415 reported activities identified across 3 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antidiabetic, Antipyretic, (-)-Chronotropic, (-)-Inotropic, ACE-Inhibitor.

Antidiabetic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of natural products

Antipyretic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology

(-)-Chronotropic

1. Dr. Duke

(-)-Inotropic

1. Dr. Duke

ACE-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

AChE-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

Abortifacient

1. Dr. Duke

Acaricide

1. Dr. Duke

Acidulant

1. Dr. Duke

Aldose-Reductase-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

Conditions

Piper auritum has 10 reported investigations on conditions identified across 3 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include Fasciola hepatica, antidiabetic, cancer, common colds, hypertension.

Fasciola hepatica

1. BMC veterinary research

Antidiabetic

1. Journal of natural products

Cancer

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Common colds

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Hypertension

1. Pharmacognosy research

Obesity

1. Pharmacognosy research

Rheumatism

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Snakebites

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Women's health

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Wound healing

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Preparations

Piper auritum has 7 reported preparations identified across 3 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include Methanol and aqueous extracts, Plant extracts, Traditional preparations, anti-TBC stem extract, antimycobacterial extract of the leaves.

Methanol and aqueous extracts

1. Phytotherapy research : PTR

Plant extracts

1. BMC veterinary research

Traditional preparations

1. Pharmacognosy research

Anti-tbc stem extract

1. Journal of natural products

Antimycobacterial extract of the leaves

1. Journal of natural products

Ethanolic extracts

1. Pharmacognosy research

Leaf extract

1. Pharmacognosy research