Pepper (Piper nigrum) is a tropical vine native to Southern India and Sri Lanka that produces white and black peppercorns. Yellow florets bloom on these vines, followed by spherical fruit that ripen to red. Black pepper is produced by harvesting and drying the fruit just as it begins to ripen, whereas white peppercorns are produced from the fully ripened fruit. The harvested peppercorns can be ground into pepper, which is used around the world as a spice and seasoning. The fruit can also be steam-distilled to produce essential oil.

Botanical name: Piper nigrum

Other names: Pepper, Marich, Black pepper, White pepper

Main constituents: α-pinene, β-pinene, limonene, myrcene, sabinene, camphene, α-thujone, piperitone, caryophyllene, pinocarveol, ρ-cymene, β-bisabolene, α-phellandrene, β-farnesene, α-terpinene, linalool