Plant of the day : Piper auritum

Piper auritum

This plant is native to the Americas.

Some common names for this plant are : Rootbeer plant, Sacred pepper, Mexican pepperleaf.

Essential oils produced from the leafs of this plant are very high in Safrole.

The substance Safrole is also found in Sassafras trees and the essential oil that is produced from them.

To quote from Wikipedia :

"Safrole is a precursor for the clandestine manufacture of the drugs MDA and MDMA, and as such, sales and import of sassafras oil are heavily restricted in the US."

Caution for gardeners : Big green hungry caterpillars love to snack on this plant.

It is very hot and dry currently in Australia, all the plants are under the back deck to try and give them some protection from the sun.