Practical
Plants

Litsea cubeba

Mountain Pepper

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Litsea genus in the family Lauraceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Lauraceae
Genus
Litsea
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Height
7 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Root[2]. Fruit[2]. The source of an essential oil, it is also used as a flavouring[2].

Plant part
Fruit
Plant part
Root

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Antiphlogistic, expectorant[1]. The root, stem, leaves and fruits are all used as medicine for eliminating windevil and dispelling the cold in the body, allaying swelling and pain[3]. The fruit is used as medicine is known as 'Bi Cheng Qie'[3].

Product or use
Antiphlogistic
Product or use
Expectorant

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The flowers, leaves and fruit walls are used for extracting an essential oil rich in citral which is used as a perfume and in medicine[3]. The fruit core contains 61.8% of oil which is used for industry[3]. The wood is used for general furniture and construction, etc[3].

Product or use
Essential
Product or use
Oil
Product or use
Wood

Environment

Range
E. Asia - China.
Habitat
Sunny slopes, thickets, sparse forests, roadsides, watersides, 500 - 3200 metres in Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang[3].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed -

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain. However, judging by its native range, it could succeed outdoors at least in the milder areas of the country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.

References

  1. ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X

    ↩

  2. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2↩3

  3. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

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