Monographs Details:
Authority:

Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro & collaborators. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78: 1-581.
Family:

Piperaceae
Description:

Species Description - Erect, terrestrial herb, 10-35 cm tall, glabrous, many-branched at the base; stems translucent. Leaves alternate; blades 1.0-4.0 x 0.8-4.0 cm, deltoid-ovate, fleshy to membranous, the apex acuminate, the base subtruncate, rounded, or cordate, the margins slightly wavy; petioles 0.6-2.0 cm long, clasping stem at the base. Flowers in slender, terminal spikes, 1.5-5.0 cm long. Drupe subglobose, black, 0.5-0.7 mm diam.

Distribution and Ecology - Along shaded stream banks. Jeep trail to Seiben (A2054). Also on St. Croix, St. Thomas, and Tortola; pantropical

Discussion:

Common name: shiny bush.