#mexico plants

Root beer plant (Piper auritum)

This big floppy plant is said to resemble the taste of root beer - or others say a more anise/clover concoction.   Nonetheless, it is a very useful plant in the tropics.  

The leaves are used as wrappings for meats and tamales, and an essential ingredient in making mole verde (a Mexican dish).

Its leaves can get as big as 1 foot in diameter, and the flowers can be seen in the pictures above - a single white spadix.