Abstract
Taxon of Piper species was difficult in taxonomy and ecology. We investigated species biological populations of Piper in Southeast Asia and South Pacific areas. A new variant of Piper kadsura was found in Iriomote Island, Okinawa. In Japan, P. kadsura is distributed from Kanto (Chiba) to Okinawa and grows in the forest along the sea coast. Forty eight samples taken between Chiba and Ryukyu Islands were used. The samples were examined and compared for their leaf-form, inflorescense, pollen ornamentation and isozyme patterns. Result showed that the leaf-form of Shirahama and Haimida-hama populations in Iriomote Island was ovate, entire with acute apex, cordate base, palmate venation and sharp tip pollen ornamentation than those from other populations having flat top pollen ornamentation. Moreover, isozyme pattern was found different from other populations sampled. Its morphological characteristics were not similar to P. kadsura . Hence, it is assumed that Shirahama and Haimida-hama populations were variants of P. kadsura.
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