Piper nigrum

Family: Piperaceae

Common name: Black pepper

Pepper (Piper nigrum) is cultivated for its fruit, known as the peppercorn, which is typically dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The pepper plant is a perennial, woody vine that can grow up to 9 meters in height, often supported by trees, poles, or trellises. It is a spreading vine, with trailing stems that root easily when they touch the ground. The leaves are alternate and entire.

The flowers of the pepper plant are small and are produced on pendulous spikes at the leaf nodes, with the spikes lengthening as the fruit matures. The fruit is one seeded spherical drupe , initially dark red, and dried fruit is wrinkled and black coloured, seeds are whitish in colour

Peppercorns, and the ground pepper derived from them, are typically referred to simply as “pepper,” though more specific terms include black pepper (dried, unripe fruit), green pepper (dried unripe fruit), and white pepper (ripe fruit seeds). Historically, pepper was both a seasoning and a traditional medicine. Long pepper, which is stronger, was often preferred for medicinal use, though both types were utilized. Black pepper, in particular, was believed to cure a variety of ailments, such as constipation, insomnia, oral abscesses, sunburn, and toothaches, among others.