What is Tasmannia?
{{italic title}} {{Automatic taxobox |image = Tasmannia lanceolata.jpg |image_caption = ''Tasmannia lanceolata''<br> [[Mount Donna Buang]], Victoria, Australia |taxon = Tasmannia |authority = [[R.Br.]] }} '''''Tasmannia''''' is a [[genus]] of woody, [[evergreen]] [[flowering plant]]s native to [[Australia]], [[New Guinea]], [[Sulawesi|Celebes]], [[Borneo]] and the [[Philippines]]. Most [[species]] have [[Odor|aromatic]] [[bark]] and [[leaves]]. Some are used to extract [[essential oils]]. Their peppery-flavored fruits and leaves (especially dried) are increasingly used as a condiment in [[Australia]]. They have a [[Black pepper|peppery]] flavour due to the presence of [[polygodial]].<ref>T. K. Lim, ''Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants'', Volume 6 (Dordrecht; New York: Springer, 2013), p. 495</ref> The taste is a cross between [[Chili pepper|chile]] and [[Black pepper|peppercorn]].<ref>Aliza Green, ''Field Guide to Herbs and Spices: How to Identify, Select, and Use Virtually Every Seasoning at the Market'' (Philadelphia: Quirk Books, 2015), p. 135</ref> ==Distribution and habitat== In Australia, the genus ranges from [[Tasmania]] and [[east]]ern [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] and [[New South Wales]] to [[southeast]]ern [[Queensland]]. It is also found in the [[mountain]]s of [[northeast]]ern Queensland. There it grows in moist mountain [[forest]]s and in wet areas in the drier forest and along [[river|watercourses]] to up to 1500 m (5000&nbsp;ft). ==Culinary use== 'Tasmanian pepper' or 'mountain pepper' (pictured) was the original pepperbush used by [[colonial Australia]]ns. It was grown in [[Cornwall]] in [[England]], to become the 'Cornish pepperleaf' (associated with Cornish cuisine). It has large, peppery [[Berry|berries]] which are also high in [[antioxidant]]s.<ref>Cheryll Williams, ''Medicinal Plants in Australia'', Volume 4 (Sydney: Rosenberg Publishing, 2013), p. 135</ref> But due to the presence of [[safrole]], safrole-free strains of mountain pepper are selected for the [[spice trade]]. D