Kava, is the name of two shrubs related to the pepper plant. They are also called ava. They grow in Australia and the Pacific Islands. Kavas grow as tall as 5 feet (1.5 meters). They have round leaves and small yellowish-cream flowers. The plants are easy to raise in greenhouses. They are grown from cuttings from the stem. The roots yield a juice called kavaic acid. The peoples of the South Pacific use the juice to make a fermented drink called kava, ava, or kavakava.
Scientific classification. The kavas are in the pepper family, Piperaceae. The scientific names for the two kinds are Piper methysticum and P. excelsum.
Contributor: Hugh C. Price, Ph.D. Prof. and Chairperson, Department of Horticultural Science, Cornell Univ.
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