Tasmannia

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Magnoliids
Ordo: Canellales

Familia: Winteraceae
Subfamilia: Winteroideae
Genus: Tasmannia
Species: T. brassii – T. buxifolia – T. fistulosa – T. lamii – T. lanceolata – T. microphylla – T. montis-wilhelmii – T. myrtoides – T. parviflora – T. piperita – T. pittosporoides – T. purpurascens – T. stipitata – T. vaccinioides
Name

Tasmannia R.Br. ex DC., 1817.

Typus: non designatus.

Synonyms

Homotypic
Drimys sect. Tasmannia (R.Br.) F.Muell., Plants Indigenous to the Colony of Victoria 1: 20. 1862.
Heterotypic
Austrodrimys Doweld, Novosti Sist. Vyssh. Rast. 32: 38. 2000.
Pseudodrimys Doweld, Novosti Sist. Vyssh. Rast. 32: 38. 2000.

References

Govaerts, R. et al. 2021. Tasmannia in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2021 June 15. Reference page.
Hassler, M. 2021. Tasmannia. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2021. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2021 June 15. Reference page.
Doweld, A.B. 2013. А note on the genus Pseudodrimys (Winteraceae). Turczaninowia 16(1): 173–175. PDF Free Access Reference page.

Tasmannia is a genus of woody, evergreen flowering plants of the family Winteraceae. The 40 species of Tasmannia are native to Australia, New Guinea, Sulawesi, Borneo, and the Philippines. The Winteraceae are magnoliids, and are associated with the humid Antarctic flora of the Southern Hemisphere. The members of the family generally have aromatic bark and leaves, and some are used to extract essential oils. The peppery-flavored fruits and leaves (especially dried) of this genus are increasingly used as a condiment in Australia. The peppery flavour can be attributed to polygodial.

Taxonomy

The first description of the genus was published by Robert Brown.[1][2] The species of Tasmannia were formerly classified in genus Drimys, a related group of Winteraceae native to the Neotropics. Recent studies have led to an increasing consensus among botanists to split the genus into two, with the Neotropical species remaining in genus Drimys, and the Australasian species classified in genus Tasmannia.[3]
List of Tasmannia species

Tasmannia acutifolia
Tasmannia arfakensis
Tasmannia beccariana
Tasmannia brassii
Tasmannia buxifolia
Tasmannia coriacea
Tasmannia cyclopum
Tasmannia densifolia
Tasmannia dictyophlebia
Tasmannia dipetala
Tasmannia elongata
Tasmannia fistulosa
Tasmannia glaucifolia - fragrant pepperbush
Tasmannia grandiflora
Tasmannia hatamensis
Tasmannia insipida - brush pepperbush
Tasmannia lamii
Tasmannia lanceolata - mountain pepperbush (Aus) or Cornish pepperleaf (UK)
Tasmannia macrantha
Tasmannia membranea – pepper tree
Tasmannia microphylla
Tasmannia monticola
Tasmannia montis-wilhelmii
Tasmannia myrtoides
Tasmannia obovata
Tasmannia oligandra
Tasmannia pachyphylla
Tasmannia parviflora
Tasmannia piperita
Tasmannia pittosporoides
Tasmannia purpurascens - broadleaf pepperbush
Tasmannia reticulata
Tasmannia rosea
Tasmannia rubiginosa
Tasmannia stipitata - Dorrigo pepper
Tasmannia vaccinioides
Tasmannia verticillata
Tasmannia vickeriana - Baw Baw pepper
Tasmannia xerophila - alpine pepperbush

Distribution and habitat

In Australia, the genus Tasmannia ranges from Tasmania and eastern Victoria and New South Wales to southeastern Queensland, and in the mountains of northeastern Queensland, where it grows in moist mountain forests and in wet areas in the drier forest and along watercourses to an elevation of 1500 m (5000 ft).
Culinary use

'Tasmanian pepper' or 'mountain pepper' (T. lanceolata, often referred to as Drimys lanceolata or T. aromatica) was the original pepperbush used by colonial Australians, and was introduced into cultivation in Cornwall, UK, to become the 'Cornish pepperleaf' associated with Cornish cuisine. It has large, peppery berries which are also high in antioxidants. Safrole is the biggest limitation with using wild strains of mountain pepper, and safrole-free strains of mountain pepper have been selected for the spice trade.

Tasmannia stipitata, Dorrigo pepper, is also sold as a spice and was the original pepperbush used in specialty native food restaurants in the 1980s. Dorrigo pepper is safrole free and has a strong peppery flavour.
See also

Bushtucker

References
Notes

in a contribution to Augustin-Pyramus de Candolle, Regni Vegetabilis Systema Naturale, Vol. 1, Paris (1818): 445.[1]
"Tasmannia". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.

Doust, A.N., Drinnan, A.N., Floral development and molecular phylogeny support the generic status of Tasmannia (Winteraceae), American Journal of Botany, Vol. 91, pp321-331., 2004

Bibliography

Doust, Andrew N. and Drinnan, Andrew N., 2004. Floral development and molecular phylogeny support the generic status of Tasmannia (Winteraceae). American Journal of Botany 91: 321–331.
Sampson, F.B., Williams, J.B. and Woodland, Poh S., The Morphology and Taxonomic Position of Tasmannia glaucifolia (Winteraceae), 1988. A New Australian Species. Australian Journal of Botany 36 (4): 395–414.
Smith, Keith and Irene. 1999. Grow your own bushfoods. New Holland Publishers, Sydney, Australia.
Robins, Juleigh. 1996. Wild Lime: Cooking from the bushfood garden. Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd, Sydney, Australia.
Bryant, Geoff. 2005. The Random House Encyclopedia of Australian Native Plants. Random House, Sydney, Australia.
Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Flora's native plants. ABC Books, Sydney, Australia.
Low, Tim. 1991. Wild food plants of Australia. Angus & Robertson Publishers, Sydney, Australia.