Pepper
Piper nigrum

Family: Piperaceae

What it is like

A climbing, green, leafy vine. It is woody. The nodes are enlarged. The plant has roots on the main stem which attach to tree trunks. The vines can be 8-10 m long. The leaf stalk is 1-2 cm long. The leaf blade is oval and 10-15 cm long by 5-9 cm wide. It is thick and leathery. The base is rounded and it tapers to a short tip. The flowers are usually of one sex but many flowers occur together. The spikes are opposite the leaves. The spikes are 3-3.5 cm long by 0.8 mm wide. They can be 10 cm long. It has clusters of berries on the side branches. The berries are red when ripe. They are 3-4 mm across.

There are between 1000-2000 Piper species. They are mostly in the tropics.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows from sea level up to at least 1100 m altitude in equatorial places. It suits areas with a temperature between 24° and 26°C. It cannot tolerate frost. It likes high humidity and shade. It does best with a rainfall between 1200 and 2500 mm per year. It has been planted in commercial stands in a few coastal areas of Papua New Guinea. In the Cairns Botanical Gardens. It originally came from the tropics of India. It occurs in the Western Ghats in India. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bougainville, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central America, China, Congo DR, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, East Africa, East Timor, Ethiopia, Europe, Fiji, FSM, Guam, Guatemala, Guyana, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Myanmar, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Pohnpei, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Singapore, South America, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Thailand, Timor-Leste, USA, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna, West Africa, West Indies

How it is used for food

The berries are used as a spice. The dried fruit are used as pepper. Black pepper is dried with the skin on and white pepper has the skin soaked off and removed before drying. Immature green berries are sold in brine or dried.

In Papua New Guinea it is becoming of some importance as a cash crop but is little used locally as a spice. About 80,000 tons are produced each year worldwide. It is a cultivated food plant.

Edible parts

Seeds, herb, spice, fruit

How it is grown

Plants are normally grown from cuttings of the main (rooted) vine. Pruning of the tips can increase branch formation on which berries are produced. It needs a support to climb. Plants can be grown from seeds.

Berries dried with the skin give white pepper. Berries where the skin is soaked off produce black pepper. To do these they are soaked in water for a few days. Plants produce in the third year. They can continue producing for 20 years. Flowering normally follows rain. Fruit ripen after 3-4 months.

Its other names

Local names

Black pepper, Bumawng-ru, Gol morich, Hapusha, Jaluk, Kajmurch, Kalamari, Kalamorich, Kalimirch, Kalomirich, Kapidi, Kare menasu, Konda miriyam, Kurumulaku, Lada hitam, Lada puteh, Lado ketek, Lado kobon, Maricha, Merica, Micha, Milagu, Mire, Miriyala tige, Morshaidi, Nallamulaku, Nga-yok-kaung, Paminta, Pappaa, Pedes, Pepe nero, Pfeffer, Phrik tai, Pimenta negra, Pimienta, Poivre, Priktai, Sayo-me, U-pinlong, Ushana, White pepper, Zwarte

Synonyms

Muldera multinervis Miq.;