Piper nigrum
L.
Pepper
(c) Nuno Veríssimo P., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Nuno Veríssimo P.
(c) Irfan Nurarifin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Irfan Nurarifin
(c) breki74, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Seeds, Herb, Spice, Fruit
The pungent fruits — known as peppercorns — are dried and ground into black pepper, one of the world's most widely used condiments. The globose red fruits are 4–6mm in diameter and deliver a hot flavour. White pepper, which is milder, is made by removing the outer fruit coverings before drying. Unripe green fruits can be pickled in vinegar and used as a relish. An essential oil obtained from the seed is used as a flavouring in various foods.
Where to Find It
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.
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, PNG, 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 to Identify
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.
Nutrition Score: 73/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seeds - white | 11.4 | 1238 | 296 | 10.4 | 0 | 21 | 14.3 | 1.1 |
| Seeds - black | 10.5 | 1067 | 255 | 11 | 19 | 21 | 28.9 | 1.4 |
How to Grow
A plant of the hot and humid lowland tropics, where it grows best at elevations up to 500 metres, but can be grown up to 2,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 35°c, but can tolerate 10 - 40°c. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 2,500 - 4,000mm, but tolerates 2,000 - 5,500mm. Grows best in sheltered positions in semi-shade. Prefers a neutral soil rich in organic matter. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7, tolerating 5 - 7.5. Level ground is most suitable for the production of pepper, prov ided there is no flooding, but it is often grown in rolling country or on hill slopes of varying steepness. The plant begins to bear in 3 - 4 years, can reach full production after 7 years and has an economic life of about 12 - 20 years. Optimum yields at low capital input are 6 tonnes per hectare of the unprocessed (green) peppers; 2 tonnes of the sundried (black) peppers; or 1.67 tonnes of the washed and dried (white) peppers. In gardens with higher inputs, yields may be 8 - 9 tonnes of green pepper in the first harvest and 12 - 20 tonnes in the sixth or seventh harvest. The root system can be 4 metres or more deep. Flowering Time: Mid Summer. Bloom Color: White/Near White. Spacing: 12-15 ft. (3.6-4.7 m).
Propagation: Propagate by seed or by cuttings — very easy. Use shoots of wood about 45cm long, taken from parts of the plant that have already flowered.
Medicinal Uses
Black pepper fruits contain an essential oil (comprising beta-bisabolene, camphene, beta-caryophyllene, and many other terpenes and sesquiterpenes), up to 9% alkaloids — particularly piperine, which accounts for the acrid taste — around 11% protein, and small amounts of minerals. The fruit is a pungent, aromatic, warming herb that lowers fever, acts as an antiseptic, and improves digestion. In Western and Ayurvedic medicine, black pepper is regarded as a stimulating expectorant; in Chinese medicine it is considered tranquilizing and anti-emetic. Used internally in Western herbalism, the seed treats indigestion and wind. In Chinese medicine it is a warming herb for stomach chills, food poisoning, cholera, dysentery, diarrhoea, and cold-induced vomiting. In Ayurvedic medicine it is applied externally to treat nasal congestion, sinusitis, epilepsy, and skin inflammations. The essential oil is antiseptic, antibacterial, and febrifuge, and has been used to relieve rheumatic pain and toothache.
Other Uses
An essential oil obtained from the fruits is used in perfumery to create oriental-type bouquets with spicy notes.
Wikipedia
Source ↗An evergreen climbing vine reaching 6 meters tall with a 1-meter spread, growing at a fast rate. Hardy to UK zone 10. Tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage; adapts to mildly acidic through basic pH levels. Prefers moist conditions and semi-shaded environments but is intolerant of wind exposure.
Production
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.
Other Information
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.
Notes
There are between 1000-2000 Piper species. They are mostly in the tropics.
Names & Synonyms
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
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