Black Pepper Vine (Piper Nigrum)

Loved around the world, Black Pepper is a perennial woody vine native to southern Asia. Piper Nigrum can obtain heights of up to to 13 ft and is perfect for trellises, porches, fences, and poles with it’s spreading vine. These vines will easily root and take hold to soil and surfaces, making this a great plant for cultivation. 

The fruiting vine bears small flowers which can produce long spikes (around 3-7 inches long) of dark red fruit.  These drupes are commonly called peppercorns and can grow in clusters of 20-30. These fruit are picked and dried in the sun or artificially, and crushed into pepper. Depending on when the fruit is harvested and dried can result in variations such as black, white, or green pepper. Black Pepper grows best in well drained and moist soils. It requires soil with plenty of nutrition, but isn’t picky about altitude.  It even makes an excellent houseplant in temperate climates.