Black pepper is native to Kerala in Southwestern India, and is extensively cultivated there and elsewhere in tropical regions.
I have a large specimen growing on the front of my house which is actually quite beautiful.
That plant is pictured above. I was trying to get it to grow on the side of a nearby tree but a vine found the block wall of my house and it went straight to growing up the side of the wall and branching out. I eventually gave up trying to get it to grow on the tree and let it grow where it wanted to. It now blooms every year and greets me as I come into my house.
Vietnam grows and produces more pepper than any other country, producing 34% of the world’s crop. Black pepper is one of the first spices traded, and is still the world’s most traded spice, and is one of the most common spices added to cuisines around the world.
Its spiciness is a result of the chemical piperine, not capsaicin as is characteristic of chili peppers.
Origin
India
Family
Piperaceae
Binomial nomenclature
Piper nigrum
Common names
Black Pepper
Description
The pepper plant is a perennial woody vine growing up to 4 m (13 ft) in height on supporting trees, poles, or trellises. It is a spreading vine, rooting readily where trailing stems touch the ground. The leaves are alternate, entire, 5 to 10 cm (2.0 to 3.9 in) long and 3 to 6 cm (1.2 to 2.4 in) across. The flowers are small, produced on pendulous spikes 4 to 8 cm (1.6 to 3.1 in) long at the leaf nodes, the spikes lengthening up to 7 to 15 cm (2.8 to 5.9 in) as the fruit matures.
Height
12′ tall.
Temperature/Zone
zone 9b, 32°F. This plant prefers humid conditions.
Light
Part sun to shade.
Water
Keep them evenly hydrated.
Fertilizer
I’ve been using granular 10-10-10 for vegetable gardens
Cultivation
Black pepper vines like to grow in bright shade. Give them something to climb. They are not particularl6y aggressive as vines go. Their roots attach themselves to surfaces so they can grow on a wall as well as on a trellis. They are a bit slow growing as vines go, but eventually they can cover a wall in rather beautiful foliage. Once the plant establishes itself it will begin to bloom and produce berries.
Pests
I haven’t had any real problems with pests. Ocassionally I see mealy bugs on them, which I treat with soap.
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