United States / Grow / Piper excelsum

Piper excelsum

Piper excelsum (accepted: Macropiper excelsum) · Piperaceae · all Piper records · also called Kawakawa, Pepper tree

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Form
tree
Region
New Zealand
Rated in
Global; New Zealand
On this lot

1. Fire evidence and conditions

Fire evidence
Fire-resistant — location does not change the cited classification.
Evidence regions
Global; New Zealand

2. Why this plant is relevant here

3. Legal, ecological, and broader status

How to read this page

The status above is computed from the cited rows below: independent recommendations can support a fire-resistant result, an avoid row can produce keep-away, and disagreement stays visible as conflict. Placement notes preserve each source’s own scheme rather than translating unlike rules into one scale. This is evidence about a plant, not permission to plant it in every part of the defensible space; Zone 0 remains noncombustible.

The evidence

Grouped by what each source concluded. Primary evidence rated the plant itself (a lab, field program, or original curation); corroboration compiled or republished another source's rating and resolves to its root lineage.

Recommends (1)

Listed without a rating (10)
Corroboration (10 rows from 1 source)
  • FLAMITS: FLAMmability plant traiTS database — Dryad / Global Ecology and Biogeography · Dryad version 9 · original source Corroboration Trait database lineage: meta-aggregator

    10 cited rows from this source; its identity, lineage and tier are stated once.

    • Primary study Cui2020a: Cui, X., Paterson, A. M., Wyse, S. V., Alam, M. A., Maurin, K. J. L., Pieper, R., ... Curran, T. J. (2020a). Shoot flammability of vascular plants is phylogenetically conserved and related to habitat fire-proneness and growth form. Nature Plants, 6, 355-359.

      Shared row context: plant part branches; fuel all; predrying yes; device grill; site Cui2020a-1; sampling ND.

      • “ignition frequency (%): 1”

        FLAMITS record 1465; Ignitability measurement.

      • “maximum sample temperature (°C): 150”

        FLAMITS record 1659; Combustibility measurement.

      • “burning duration (s): 0”

        FLAMITS record 1853; Sustainability measurement.

      • “estimated burnt biomass (%): 0”

        FLAMITS record 2047; Consumability measurement.

    • Primary study Mason2016: Mason, N. W. H., Frazao, C., Buxton, R. P., & Richardson, S. J. (2016). Fire form and function: evidence for exaptive flammability in the New Zealand flora. Plant Ecology, 217, 645-659.

      Shared row context: plant part leaves; fuel live; predrying yes; device muffle furnace; site Mason2016-3; sampling summer.

      • Shared measurement context: Ignitability measurement.

        • “temperature at smoke (°C): 128.44”

          FLAMITS record 8426.

        • “temperature at smoke (°C): 143.66”

          FLAMITS record 8427.

        • “temperature at flaming (°C): 170.66”

          FLAMITS record 8641.

        • “temperature at flaming (°C): 193.46”

          FLAMITS record 8642.

      • Shared measurement context: Combustibility measurement.

        • “temperature increase rate (°C/s): 37.42”

          FLAMITS record 8856.

        • “temperature increase rate (°C/s): 11.45”

          FLAMITS record 8857.

Last verified 2026-08-23. JSON (CC BY 4.0)

Profiles: GBIF · iNaturalist · Wikidata ·

Piper excelsum (Kawakawa, Pepper tree). FireApproved. https://fireapproved.com/plants/piper-excelsum/. Last verified 2026-08-23.