Japanese name: コショウ（胡椒） Scientific name:Piper nigrum
[Overview]
An evergreen climbing shrub.
The vines grow to about 7–8 m and become woody.
The nodes are swollen, and aerial roots emerge from the nodes on the lower part of the stem and cling to other objects.
The leaves are simple and alternate, ovate, 10–15 cm long, leathery, and entire.
Spikes 10–15 cm long hang down at positions opposite the leaves.
The flowers are small and borne densely in large numbers.
The fruit is spherical, about 3–6 mm in diameter, ripening from green to red and then dark, and contains one seed.
[History]
In ancient Roman times it was prized along with cinnamon.
It came to Japan by way of China and is already recorded in the Nara period.
[Uses]
It is used as a spice and also medicinally.
Black pepper is made from unripe green fruit that is harvested and dried, and white pepper is made from ripe fruit that is harvested, dried, and stripped of its skin.
There are also green pepper and red pepper, which differ in harvest time and processing.
