Piper Species, Betel Pepper, Betel Vine

Much of the "Piper betle" sold in western commerce by both commercial and private sellers alike is actually misidentified Piper sarmentos...Read Moreum, and this includes plants in several of the images here. Having been sold the incorrect species by one otherwise reputable commercial seller, it becomes clear that potential buyers should be made aware of the differences and the tendency for westerners to get the two confused, given their similar physical appearance. I've provided a side-by-side image that illustrates the differences.

P. betle is an adventurous, branching vertical climber with mature stems becoming woody, and with smoother leaves that possess a powerful, spicy, and somewhat bitter aromatic flavor that gets one's attention in the way that raw ginger root does.

P. sarmentosum has stems that remain herbaceous, it maintains a relatively short stature (no climbing), and has a horizontal spreading tendency by virtue of lengthy ground runners. It's leaves are more "crinkly" in appearance, and their mild aromatic flavor contributes to many SE Asian dishes.

See this link for differentiation and further reference:
http://thaifoodandtravel.com/blog/betel-leaf/

This betel plant is used as a herb for wrapping for Thai snack and chop the leaf to put in the curry for sea food for nice aroma. The g...Read Moreourmet cook uses the leaf to wrap fish for grilling.

This is the leaf used in the Betel nut chew. Very strongly flavoured leaves are wrapped around the nut with a lime paste.

...Read More Fast growing vine. Cuttings are easy to take often having root buds at every leaf.