Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 5, 2026

Microtea

Microtea, the jumby peppers, are a genus of flowering plants in the family Microteaceae, native to the Caribbean islands, Central America, and tropical South America.

Last revised
Jul 5, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
174 w
Citations
5
Source
Microtea
Botanical illustration of Microtea glochidiata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Spermatophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Microteaceae
Schäferhoff & Borsch
Genus: Microtea
Sw.1
Species

10; see text

Synonyms2
  • Ancistrocarpus Kunth (1817)
  • Ceratococca Willd. (1820)
  • Potamophila Schrank (1821)
  • Schollera Rohr (1792), nom. illeg.

Microtea, the jumby peppers, are a genus of flowering plants in the family Microteaceae, native to the Caribbean islands, Central America, and tropical South America.2

Species

Ten species are currently accepted.2

  • Microtea bahiensis Marchior. & J.C.Siqueira
  • Microtea celosioides (Spreng.) Moq. ex Sennikov & Sukhor.
  • Microtea debilis Sw. – weak jumby pepper
  • Microtea glochidiata Moq.
  • Microtea maypurensis (Kunth) G.Don
  • Microtea papillosa Marchior. & J.C.Siqueira
  • Microtea portoricensis Urb. – Puerto Rico jumby pepper
  • Microtea scabrida Urb.
  • Microtea sulcicaulis Chodat
  • Microtea tenuifolia Moq.

Microtea was originally placed in the family Phytolaccaceae, but is now placed in its own family, the Microteaceae.3

References

References

  1. Prodr. [O. P. Swartz] 53. 1788 [20 Jun-29 Jul 1788]
  2. Microtea Sw. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  3. Schäferh. & Borsch, Willdenowia 39(2): 223 (2010)