Piper sarmentosumWild Betel

Piper sarmentosum, the Wild Betel or cha plu, spreads by low running stems into a glossy, heart-leaved carpet 0.3 to 0.6 metres deep. The leaves are aromatic and are used fresh across Thai, Lao and Vietnamese cooking, which gives the plant a second life in hotel and resort kitchen gardens.

As a landscape plant it does one job very well: it closes shaded ground under canopy quickly, and it keeps a clean, even, high-gloss surface while it does it.

Specifications

• Height0.3 to 0.6 metres
• Width0.6 to 1.5 metres, spreading by rooting runners
• Native toSouth and South East Asia, including southern China and India
• FoliageGlossy, heart-shaped, aromatic bright green leaves on jointed stems; evergreen
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilPrefers moist, humus-rich, well-drained soils
• LightPartial shade to full shade; dislikes hot direct sun
• WaterRegular; keep evenly moist through the warm season
• ClimateThrives in humid tropical and subtropical regions

Additional Features

• UsesShaded understorey ground cover, courtyard beds, tropical schemes and edible landscaping
• SpacingPlant 0.4 to 0.5 metres apart for cover within a season
• Low MaintenanceTrim at the edges to hold it inside the bed; cut over annually to refresh
• Pest ResistanceGenerally straightforward in a shaded humid position
• FormLow, spreading, evenly surfaced carpet of glossy foliage
• Cultural SignificanceLeaves are widely used fresh in South East Asian cooking

Wild Betel is one of the quickest ways to put a clean glossy carpet across shaded ground in a tropical scheme.