Biology:Tasmannia lanceolata
| Tasmannia lanceolata | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Magnoliids |
| Order: | Canellales |
| Family: | Winteraceae |
| Genus: | Tasmannia |
| Species: | T. lanceolata
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| Binomial name | |
| Tasmannia lanceolata (Poir.) A.C.Sm.
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| Synonyms | |
Tasmannia lanceolata (syn. Drimys lanceolata), commonly known as Tasmanian pepperberry or mountain pepper,[1] is a shrub native to woodlands and cool temperate rainforest of south-eastern Australia . The shrub varies from 2–10 metres (6.6–32.8 ft) high. The aromatic leaves are lanceolate to narrow-elliptic or oblanceolate, 4–12 cm long, and 0.7–2.0 cm wide, with a distinctly pale undersurface. Stems are quite red in colour. The small cream or white flowers appear in summer and are followed by black, globose, two-lobed berries 5–8 mm wide, which appear in autumn.[2][3][4] There are separate male and female plants.[5]
Originally described by French botanist Jean Louis Marie Poiret, it gained its current name in 1969 by A.C. Smith. It had been known for many years as Drimys lanceolata.
It is found in Tasmania and northwards through Victoria to Barrington Tops in New South Wales. It is found in gullies in rainforests.[6]
Uses
Polygodial has been identified as the primary active compound in Tasmannia lanceolata, and is also responsible for its peppery taste. The fruits also contain benzoic acids, flavanols, and flavanones, as well as eugenol, methyl eugenol, and gallic acid, and also the glycosides quercetin and rutin.[7]
The leaf and berry have long been used as a spice, typically dried. The 1889 book The Useful Native Plants of Australia records that common names included "Pepper Tree" and that "the drupe is used as a condiment, being a fair substitute for pepper, or rather allspice [...] The leaves and bark also have a hot, biting, cinnamon-like taste."[8]
More recently, it has become popularised as a bushfood condiment. It can be added to curries, cheeses, and alcoholic beverages. It is exported to Japan to flavour wasabi. The berries are sweet and fruity at first with a lingering peppery aftertaste.[5] Dried T. lanceolata berries and leaves have strong antimicrobial activity against food spoilage organisms. It also has high antioxidant activity.[9] Low safrole clonal selections are grown in plantations for commercial use, as safrole is considered a low-risk toxin.[10]
Used in colonial medicine as a substitute for Winter's bark,[11] a stomachic, it was also used for treating scurvy.[12] Tasmanian pepper is one of a number of native Australian herbs and food species being supported by the Australian Native Food Industry Ltd, which brings together producers of food species from all parts of Australia.[13] The pepperberry can be used as a fish poison.[5]
It can be grown as an ornamental garden plant. Its berries attract birds,[14] including currawongs, that feed on them.[5] It can be propagated from cuttings or seed, and can grow in a well-drained acidic soil with some shade, but is sensitive to Phytophthora cinnamomi.[5]
Garden cultivars include 'Mt. Wellington', a compact plant with coppery new growth,[15] and 'Suzette', a variegated cultivar.[16]
See also
Leaves and berries
Dried and crushed leaves
References
- ↑ "Tasmannia lanceolata". RHS. https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/24097/Tasmannia-lanceolata/Details.
- ↑ Beadle, N.C.W., Evans, O.D., Carolin, R.C., Flora of the Sydney Region, A.H. & A.W. Reed, 1976, ISBN:0-589-07086-X
- ↑ "PlantNET - FloraOnline". http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Tasmannia~lanceolata.
- ↑ Floyd, A.G., Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia, Inkata Press, 1989, ISBN:0-909605-57-2
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment. "Tasmannia lanceolata". Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment website. Tasmanian Government. http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/Attachments/LJEM-7CV7BN/$FILE/Tasmannia%20lanceolata%20Notesheet.pdf.
- ↑ Native Plants of the Sydney District:An Identification Guide (2nd ed.). Kenthurst, NSW: Kangaroo Press. 2000. pp. 52–53. ISBN 978-0-7318-1031-4.
- ↑ Cock, Ian (2013). "The Phytochemistry and Chemotherapeutic Potential of Tasmannia lanceolata (Tasmanian Pepper): A Review". Pharmacognosy Communications. https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/bitstream/handle/10072/56795/89555_1.pdf?sequence=1. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
- ↑ J. H. Maiden (1889). The useful native plants of Australia : Including Tasmania. Turner and Henderson, Sydney. https://primo-slnsw.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=SLNSW_ALMA21105097830002626&context=L&vid=SLNSW&search_scope=EEA&tab=default_tab&lang=en_US.
- ↑ "Functional Properties of Australian Bushfoods - A Report for the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation" (PDF). RIRDC Publication No 07/030. 2007. https://rirdc.infoservices.com.au/downloads/07-030.pdf.
- ↑ Menary, R.C., Drager, V.A., Garland, S.A., Tasmannia lanceolata - Developing a New Commercial Flavour Product, Rural Industries and Development Corporation, 1999.
- ↑ Maiden, J.H., The Useful Native Plants of Australia, Turner & Henderson, Sydney, 1889
- ↑ Ewart, A.J., Flora of Victoria, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1930.
- ↑ "Australian Native Food and Botanicalsu". http://www.anfil.org.au/.
- ↑ "Fact Sheet: PLANT DIARY: Tasmannia lanceolata". Gardening Australia Website. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. April 5, 2002. http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s786406.htm.
- ↑ "Cally Gardens plant list". Archived from the original. Error: If you specify
|archiveurl=, you must also specify|archivedate=. https://web.archive.org/web/20090702142947/http://www.callygardens.co.uk/cat08-09/shrubs.html. - ↑ "Plant profile, Bluebell Arboretum and Nursery". http://www.bluebellnursery.com/cgi-bin/catalogue.cgi?cat=t&genus=Drimys&initial=D.
External links
- Bruneteau, Jean-Paul, Tukka, Real Australian Food, ISBN:0-207-18966-8
- "Tasmannia lanceolata". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. http://www.anbg.gov.au/cgi-bin/apni?taxon_id=26990.
Wikidata ☰ Q3006257 entry
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