The Piperales are one of three groups of paleoherbs , plants believed to be closely related to the monocots . Like monocots, many Piperales have a scattered arrangement of vascular bundles in their stems. An alternative view is that the paleoherbs represent relicts descended from some of the earliest flowering plants, a view known as the Paleoherb Hypothesis . The Piperales are a group of herbs, shrubs, and small trees found primarily in the tropics.
Many species are aromatic , producing fragrant or spicy smells.
A common characteristic of the members of this group are the flower clusters. In some species, the flowers closest to the bottom produce large petal-like bracts, so that the whole cluster resembles an odd flower, as in Anemopsis , shown below. Species placed in the lizard's tail family have showy bracts associated with some of their flowers. At right, a picture of Houttuynia cordata , showing its large heart-shaped leaves. The Piperales are usually divided into two unequal groups.