WorldFloraDB - Piper nigrum

Characteristics

Climbers woody. Nodes clearly enlarged and rooting, glabrous. Petiole 1-2 cm, glabrous; leaf blade ovate to ovate-oblong, rarely suborbicular, 10-15 × 5-9 cm, thick, ± leathery, glabrous, base rounded, usually slightly oblique, apex acute; veins 5-7(-9), apical pair arising 1.5-3.5 cm above base, alternate, others basal; reticulate veins prominent. Flowers polygamous, usually monoecious. Spikes leaf-opposed, to as long as leaves; peduncle nearly as long as petioles, glabrous; bracts spatulate-oblong, 3-3.5 × ca. 0.8 mm, adaxially adnate to rachis, only margin and broad, rounded apex free, shallowly cupular. Stamens 2, 1 on each side of ovary; filaments thick, short; anthers reniform. Ovary globose; stigmas 3 or 4, rarely 5. Drupe red when ripe, drying black when unripe, globose, 3-4 mm in diam., sessile. Fl. Jun-Oct.

More

Shrub sometimes with scrambling branches or liana. Stem glabrous. Petiole 1-2 cm long, glabrous, vaginate to apex; blade not scabrous, not glandular-dotted, elliptic, ovate to broadly ovate, 8-19 x 5-10 cm, apex acute to short-acuminate, base equal or almost equally attached to petiole, subacute to obtusish, glabrous; palmately-pinnately veined, secondary veins 2-3 per side, originating from lower 1/4 of primary vein, flat to prominulous above, prominulous to prominent below, tertiary veins reticulate. Inflorescence pendent; peduncle 1-2.5 cm long; spike 5-10 cm long, apiculate or not; floral bracts glabrous. Infructescence pendent, 12 cm long, more than 0.5 cm thick. Fruits globose, 5-6 mm long, glabrous, red or black, stigmas 2-3, sessile.

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.

Climbing, scrambling or ?erect glabrous shrub to 6 m... Stems with swollen nodes.. Leaves rounded ovate to ovate-elliptic or elliptic, 8–17.5 cm. long, 3.5–7.5(–11) cm. wide, acuminate at the apex, rounded at the base, with pinnate nerves but all at base in basal 1/4–1/8 of leaf length; petiole 1–1.5(–2.5) cm. long.. Spikes 3–10 cm. long; peduncles ± 1 cm. long.. Flowers hermaphrodite or unisexual and if so then plants monoecious or dioecious ( fide Steyerm.). Bract adnate to rhachis, free at margin only.. Stamens 2–3.. Stigmas 3–5, sessile.. Fruits black, globose, 5–6 mm. long, 4 mm. wide.

Life form

perennial

Growth form

shrub

Growth support

climber

Foliage retention

evergreen

Sexuality

monoecy

Pollination

-

Spread

-

Mature width (meter)

1.0

Mature height (meter)

4.5 - 5.0

Root system

-

Rooting depth (meter)

2.5

Root diameter (meter)

-

Flower color

Blooming months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Fruit color

Fruiting months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Nitrogen fixer

-

Photosynthetic pathway

-

Environment

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.

More

Not known

Light
Soil humidity
Soil texture
Soil acidity
Soil nutriment	-
Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

Use: Pepper is the most used spice in the world, although it contains several contents causing hypoglycaemic effects in humans. To obtain "black pepper" the unripe fruits are collected. During the drying proces its colour changes from green to black. To produce "white pepper" fruits are allowed to mature further, then soaked in (streaming) water. The mesocarp is then removed. In Suriname powder of pepper plus salt and lemon juice is said to alleviate coughs by East Indian people (Raghoenandan, Internal report BBS).

More

Use: Pepper is the most used spice in the world, although it contains several contents causing hypoglycaemic effects in humans. To obtain "black pepper" the unripe fruits are collected. During the drying proces its colour changes from green to black. To produce "white pepper" fruits are allowed to mature further, then soaked in (streaming) water. The mesocarp is then removed. In Suriname powder of pepper plus salt and lemon juice is said to alleviate coughs by East Indian people (Raghoenandan, Internal report BBS).

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.

Uses	animal food brewing environmental use essential oil food food additive fragrant oil gene source material medicinal perfumery poison seasoning spice stimulant
Edible	fruits seeds
Therapeutic use	Hair loss (fruit), Anti-bacterial agents (fruit), Antidotes (fruit), Appetite stimulants (fruit), Arthritis (fruit), Asthma (fruit), Chest pain (fruit), Cholera (fruit), Colic (fruit), Coma (fruit), Common cold (fruit), Cough (fruit), Dysentery (fruit), Dyspepsia (fruit), Eczema (fruit), Fever (fruit), Flatulence (fruit), Hemorrhoids (fruit), Hoarseness (fruit), Insecticides (fruit), Counterirritant (fruit), Malaria (fruit), Nausea (fruit), Paraplegia (fruit), Penis diseases (fruit), Pharyngitis (fruit), General tonic for rejuvenation (fruit), Scabies (fruit), Skin diseases (fruit), Vertigo (fruit), Vomiting (fruit), Antiperiodic (fruit), Anthelmintics (root), Appetite stimulants (root), Colic (root), Common cold (root), Cough (root), Diabetes mellitus (root), Digestive system diseases (root), Dysentery (root), Dyspnea (root), Eczema (root), Fever (root), Flatulence (root), Heart diseases (root), Hematologic diseases (root), Hemorrhoids (root), Neuritis (root), Night blindness (root), General tonic for rejuvenation (root), Dermatological Aid (unspecified), Stimulant (unspecified), Abortifacient (unspecified), Headache (unspecified), Antidote(Fish) (unspecified), Antidote(Mushroom) (unspecified), Antidote(Shellfish) (unspecified), Antioxidant (unspecified), Apertif (unspecified), Bactericide (unspecified), Cancer (unspecified), Cancer(Face) (unspecified), Cancer(Nose) (unspecified), Cancer(Stomach) (unspecified), Carminative (unspecified), Cholera (unspecified), Colic (unspecified), Corn (unspecified), Craw-Craw (unspecified), Digestive (unspecified), Dysentery (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Fungicide (unspecified), Gonorrhea (unspecified), Groin (unspecified), Perfume (unspecified), Pungency (unspecified), Rubefacient (unspecified), Skin (unspecified), Sore(Throat) (unspecified), Sterilizant (unspecified), Stomachic (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified), Vertigo (unspecified), Wen (unspecified), Diarrhea (unspecified), Swelling (unspecified), Coma (unspecified), Dhobi Itch (unspecified), Malaria (unspecified), Nausea (unspecified), Piles (unspecified), Poison (unspecified), Sore (unspecified), Spice (unspecified), Tumor(Abdomen) (unspecified), Dysuria (unspecified), Anthelmintics (unspecified), Aphrodisiacs (unspecified), Appetite stimulants (unspecified), Arthritis (unspecified), Asthma (unspecified), Common cold (unspecified), Cough (unspecified), Diuretics (unspecified), Dyspepsia (unspecified), Flatulence (unspecified), Hemorrhage (unspecified), Hepatitis (unspecified), Hiccup (unspecified), Infection (unspecified), Counterirritant (unspecified), Menstruation-inducing agents (unspecified), Pain (unspecified), Pharyngitis (unspecified), General tonic for rejuvenation (unspecified), Skin diseases (unspecified), Urethral discharge (unspecified), Antiperiodic (unspecified)
Human toxicity	-
Animal toxicity	-

Cultivation

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.

Mode	cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days)	-
Germination temperacture (C°)	-
Germination luminosity	-
Germination treatment	-
Minimum temperature (C°)	1
Optimum temperature (C°)	22 - 35
Size	-
Vigor	-
Productivity	-