Evergreens in the forest
Photo Arne Ader
Translation Liis
Asarabacca
Asarabacca; Wild pepper Harilik metspipar Asarum europaeum
The asarabacca or wild pepper is an evergreen, its leathery, kidney-shaped pretty leaves stay green all the year round, similarly to the Hepatica with which it often even shares a habitat.
Asarabacca can be found in broadleaf forests, preferring moist soils rich in humus. It is a quite common plant in Estonia, but occurs more rarely in northern Estonia and it has not been found in the islands.
Having its common name in many languages because of its peppery scent and bitter and spicy taste, asarabacca is not suitable for food seasoning due to its toxicity. The pepper scent is perceptible on lightly crushing any part of the plant between the fingers.
Animals evade the asarabacca. Instead, manufacturers of scenting compunds use it – primeval and spicy forest scents are in fashion.
Evergreen plants have been expanding towards north in Europe during the last decades; it has usually been linked to the global warming. Well documented studies of scientists in the last few years show that the increased level of CO2 in the atmosphere enhances the competitive ability of evergreen plants as compared to deciduous ones.
The structure of the leaves of evergreens differs significantly from that of deciduous plants: as a rule the leaves of evergreen plants must remain during several growing seasons. Compared to those of deciduous plants, the cells of the leaves of evergreen plants have thicker cell walls and are more densely packed, containing more structural tissue in proportion to the photosynthetically active tissue.
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