Piper aduncum originates from Central America. It occurs in many countries throughout Asia and the Pacific - but not in Africa. Piper aduncum is a member of the family Piperaceae of which there are some economically important species in the Pacific, including Piper nigrum (pepper), Piper methysticum (kava), and Piper bettle of which the fruits are used with betel nut (Areca cathecu) in Papua New Guinea.

Piper aduncum is a shrub or small tree with alternate leaves and spiky flowers and fruits. It occasionally reaches an height of 7 to 8 m, and has very small seeds, which are mostly dispersed by the wind, fruit bats and birds. Piper aduncum is common throughout Central America where it is found between sea level and 2,000 m a.s.l. along roadsides and in forest clearance areas on well-drained soils. It occurs in Mexico, Central America, Surinam, Cuba, Southern Florida, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica and is very common in Costa Rica on open or partly shaded sites.

In the Neotropics, Piper aduncum may be locally abundant but the species rarely dominates the vegetation or is found in mature vegetation. In the Amazon areas, it has been reported as an invading plant after timber exploitation. Extracts of Piper aduncum are used as folk medicine in South America. The species is mentioned in several ethnopharmalogical databases, and is said to have antifungal and antibacterial compounds.  Piper aduncum in Central and South America and the Caribbean. It has been reported in Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Surinam, French Guyana, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Martinique, St Vincent, Dominican Republic, but also in Southern Florida and Puerto Rico (USA)

Piper aduncum in South East Asia and the Pacific. It has been reported in: Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, but also in Hawaii (USA), Micronesia, American Samoa, Niue, the Marianas, Tonga, Samoa, the Cook Islands, and Palau (not all on the map).