Nutritional Freshwater Life
54
Piper sarmentosum (Roxb.)
Order: Piperales
Family: Piperaceae
Common name: Wild pepper, betel
leaves.
Distribution: Tropical areas of Southeast Asia, Northeast India, and South
China, and as far as the Andaman
islands.
Habitat: Riverbanks, on damp soil.
Description: It is an erect herb with long
creeping stems, growing to more than
10 m. It is mostly creeping along the
ground, and most parts are very finely
powdery pubescent at least when young,
dioecious. Fertile stems are erect. Leaf
blades toward the base of the stem are
ovate to suborbicular, and those toward
the apex of the stem are four smaller,
ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 7–14 × 6–13 cm.
Flowers are bisexual or unisexual, in terminal or leaf opposite spikes. Male spikes
are white, 1.5–2.5 cm × 2–3 mm. Leaves
of this species are edible (Asia Herbs).
Nutritional Facts
Proximate Composition (g/100 g WW)
Moisture Protein Starch Lipid Fiber Ash Energy a
81.1
4.0
1.3
5.7 1.9 2.3
321
a kJ.
Minerals (mg/100 g)
Ca Mg Fe
K Cu
396 80 187 572 3.8
Amino Acids (g/100 g
total amino acids)
Aspartic acid
11.7
Threonine
5.0
Serine
5.7
Glutamic acid
14.4
Proline
6.3
Glycine
6.2
Alanine
6.5
Valine
4.7
Methionine
2.0
Isoleucine
3.3
Leucine
9.2
Tyrosine
5.4
Phenylalanine
6.0
Histidine
2.2
Lysine
6.5
Tryptophan
0.5
Arginine
4.4
Source: Data from Yeoh
and Wong (1993).
54
Piper sarmentosum (Roxb.)
Order: Piperales
Family: Piperaceae
Common name: Wild pepper, betel
leaves.
Distribution: Tropical areas of Southeast Asia, Northeast India, and South
China, and as far as the Andaman
islands.
Habitat: Riverbanks, on damp soil.
Description: It is an erect herb with long
creeping stems, growing to more than
10 m. It is mostly creeping along the
ground, and most parts are very finely
powdery pubescent at least when young,
dioecious. Fertile stems are erect. Leaf
blades toward the base of the stem are
ovate to suborbicular, and those toward
the apex of the stem are four smaller,
ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 7–14 × 6–13 cm.
Flowers are bisexual or unisexual, in terminal or leaf opposite spikes. Male spikes
are white, 1.5–2.5 cm × 2–3 mm. Leaves
of this species are edible (Asia Herbs).
Nutritional Facts
Proximate Composition (g/100 g WW)
Moisture Protein Starch Lipid Fiber Ash Energy a
81.1
4.0
1.3
5.7 1.9 2.3
321
a kJ.
Minerals (mg/100 g)
Ca Mg Fe
K Cu
396 80 187 572 3.8
Amino Acids (g/100 g
total amino acids)
Aspartic acid
11.7
Threonine
5.0
Serine
5.7
Glutamic acid
14.4
Proline
6.3
Glycine
6.2
Alanine
6.5
Valine
4.7
Methionine
2.0
Isoleucine
3.3
Leucine
9.2
Tyrosine
5.4
Phenylalanine
6.0
Histidine
2.2
Lysine
6.5
Tryptophan
0.5
Arginine
4.4
Source: Data from Yeoh
and Wong (1993).