Piper excelsum (formerly known as Macropiper excelsum), of the Pepper Family (Piperaceae) commonly known as kawakawa, is a small tree to 20 feet (six meters)of which the subspecies P. excelsum subsp. excelsum is endemic to New Zealand; the subspecies P. e. subsp. psittacorum is found on Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island and the Kermadec Islands.