Piper nigrum (Pepper)

Piper nigrum (Pepper) with red and green fruit in a close up plant shot.
Piper nigrum (Pepper) clusters of small round fruit ripening from green into deep red tones.

Botanical name: Piper nigrum

Common name: Pepper

Family: Piperaceae

Origin: Malabar, a region in the Western Coast of South India

USDA Plant Hardiness Map

USDA Zone: 9-11?

USDA Plant Hardiness MapLarge shrub 5-10 ft tallVine or creeper plantSemi-shadeShadeWatering: Regular. Let topsoil dry slightlySpice or herb plantEthnomedical plant. Plants marked as ethnomedical and/or described as medicinal, are not offered as medicine but rather as ornamentals or plant collectibles. Ethnomedical statements / products have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. We urge all customers to consult a physician before using any supplements, herbals or medicines advertised here or elsewhere.Fragrant plantSubtropical plant. Mature plant cold hardy at least to 30s F for a short time

Pepper is cultivated since millennia. The wild form has not yet been unambigously identified, but there are closely related pepper species in South India and Burma. While black and white pepper were already known in antiquity, but green pepper (and even more, red pepper) is a recent invention. Black pepper, grown in Southern India since more than two thousand years, has always been much valued all over the world. Pungent and aromatic. The pungency is strongest in white pepper and weakest in green pepper, while black and green pepper are more aromatic than the white one.

See Article about Piper.

Similar plants: Piper nigrum (Pepper)

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Image gallery: 21 images
Piper nigrum (Pepper) green fruit hanging from vining plant leaves in dense clusters
Piper nigrum (Pepper) with small round green fruit dangling from thick stems and wide leaves.
Piper nigrum (Pepper) with green leaves on a wooden trellis climbing support plant close up
Piper nigrum (Pepper) climbing upward with green leaves attached to a wooden trellis plant support.
Piper nigrum (Pepper) plant with glossy green leaves climbing up a rough tree bark trunk
Piper nigrum (Pepper) plant with heart-shaped green leaves climbing vertically on a dark textured tree trunk
Piper nigrum green plant with heart shaped leaves in a black nursery container
Piper nigrum young green plant growing inside a black nursery plastic pot
Piper nigrum (Pepper) green leaves covering stems in a dense and climbing plant habit.
Piper nigrum (Pepper) showing heart-shaped green leaves trailing down with clear vein structures visible.
Piper nigrum green fruit growing on vining stems in a close up
Piper nigrum vines with clusters of small round green peppercorn fruit hanging down
Piper nigrum green fruit hanging on vine with broad leaves in container plant
Piper nigrum green fruit hanging in clusters among large broad leafy stems
Piper nigrum green fruit close up with numerous small round peppercorns on vines
Piper nigrum berries dangle in clusters from stems among broad oval foliage
Piper nigrum with round green fruit on a broad leaf close up view
Piper nigrum with small green round fruit hanging from a large leaf
Piper nigrum green leaves with long thin pendulous spikes on climbing plant
Piper nigrum vines covered in heart shaped green leaves and thin spikes
Piper nigrum plant with lush green heart shaped leaves and thin climbing vines
Piper nigrum shows dense foliage and slender stems reaching across the vine structure.
Piper nigrum (Pepper) climbing green leaves along a tree trunk in close up view
Piper nigrum (Pepper) climbing green leaves attached to the bark of a tree trunk
Piper nigrum (Pepper) vine with green leaves hanging from a wooden support structure.
Piper nigrum (Pepper) vine trailing downward from a wooden support structure with green foliage.
Piper nigrum (Pepper) with green fruit hanging in clusters close up for medicinal spice use
Piper nigrum (Pepper) clusters of round green fruit growing among broad leaves on the vine.
Piper nigrum (Pepper) climbing green leaves growing on wooden trellis in black plastic pots
Piper nigrum (Pepper) climbing green leaves trained on a wooden trellis in black pots
Piper nigrum plant with dark green leaves and long pale slender spikes
Piper nigrum vining branch with broad leaves and thin dangling flower spikes
Piper nigrum green leaves on a slender vining plant in black pot
Piper nigrum with heart-shaped green leaves growing out of black plastic pot
Piper nigrum (Pepper) green leaves covering the vine as a dense climbing plant close up.
Piper nigrum (Pepper) leaves with deep green color growing on a lush climbing vine structure.
Piper nigrum (Pepper) with green fruit and oval leaves in a close up photo.
Piper nigrum (Pepper) showing clusters of round green fruit alongside broad oval shaped foliage leaves.
Piper nigrum (Pepper) with green fruit hanging from a branch in a close up
Piper nigrum (Pepper) showing clusters of round green fruit hanging next to smooth veined leaves
Piper nigrum (Pepper) green fruit hanging on plant branches in a close up photo.
Piper nigrum (Pepper) with round green fruit dangling among large oval shaped waxy leaves.

sitaram nayak M.D. Charles Town WV U S AUSDA Zone:5/65 Mar 2011
Black pepper. On the vines they are green first and if let to ripen they get orange to red.
When harvested in the green state they are dried in the sun for about 10 days when they become black pepper.
The ripe red ones are soaked in water for a few hours and then tightly packed in jute bags for 5 days and later the outer skin is peeled off. Then these white seeds are dried for a week.
The white pepper devoid of their skin are of course very hot. Whereas the black pepper dried with its green skin is milder and cheaper.Thats why the white pepper is 3 times costlier and more pungent.
This is just a friendly information. Sincerely,
Kala Gopalan 27 Oct 2004
You dry the red and green paper to make black paper. That is the way we are doing in malabar. This is not a new invention. The green one is the baby one and when it mature it become orange and turn to red. Then you dry it to make to black.
Kala Gopalan 27 Oct 2004
You dry the red and green paper to make black paper. That is the way we are doing in malabar. This is not a new invention. The green one is the baby one and when it mature it become orange and turn to red. Then you dry it to make to black.


Link to this plant:
https://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/piper_nigrum.htm
Black Pepper plant, Piper nigrum

2145 Black Pepper plant, Piper nigrum

Black pepper. Grow your own spice! Pepper is cultivated since millennia. While black and white pepper were already known in antiquity, but green pepper (and even more, red pepper) is a recent invention. Black pepper, grown in Southern India since more than two thousand years, has always been much valued all over the world. Pungent and aromatic. The pungency is strongest in white pepper and weakest in green pepper, while black and green pepper are more aromatic than the white one. Moderate growing vine that can be grown on a trellis. Prefers shade to semi-shade.
See Article about this plant.
See Planting Guide & Care Tips


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