Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Tasmannia xerophila subsp. xerophila
Common name
Alpine pepperbush, Alpine pepper
Family
Winteraceae
Where found
Forest, woodland, heath, alpine grassland, rocky areas, and moist sites, at higher altitudes. Kosciuszko National Park, the mountains to the north, ACT, and the ranges and tablelands east and south of the ACT.
Notes
Shrub to 4 m high, often forming extensive clumps due to root suckering. Fruit fleshy. Stems reddish when young, hairless, rough, warty, and with conspicuous leaf scars. Leaves aromatic when rubbed, with a peppery taste. Leaves alternating up the stems, whorled, or clustered, 1–10 cm long, 5–17 mm wide, leathery or rigid, rather thick, hairless, green on both surfaces, margins flat to slightly curved down, tips blunt. Male and female flowers on different plants. Flowers white to pale yellowish green, with 2-9 petals 2-8 mm long. Flowers in clusters of 1-16 flowers. Fruit purplish black when ripe, round, about 5 mm in diameter. Flowering: summer.
All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Tasmannia~xerophila (accessed 7 February, 2021)
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