Black Pepper

Piper nigrum L

Piper nigrum L., Sp. Pl., 28, 1753.—Saflord, Plant World, 5: 196, 1902; Contr. U.S. Nat. Herb., 9:282, 355, 1905.—Okabe, Nettai Sangyô Kenkyu-sho ihô, 5:2, 1940.—Bryan, Plants of Guam [unpub., 1946?].—Yuncker, Occ. Pap. Bish. Mus., 22: 90, 1959.

Glabrous climber with ovate to broadly elliptic leaves, obtuse to rounded at base, acuminate at apex, minutely but densely black-punctate beneath, 7-nerved, the outer pair very faint, arising at base, a second pair, much stronger, just above base, the other pairs arising well above the base, well separated, the upper strongly alternate, petiole 1–2 cm long, expanded only at extreme base; spikes pedunculate, less than 10 cm long, not equaling leaves, pistillate flowers rather loosely arranged on rachis, ovary broadly ovoid, stigmas linear, 3, spreading, tending to be raised on an extremely short style; fruit globose, free, neither connate nor sunken in rachis (description mostly from Philippine specimens).

Widely cultivated in southeast Asia and Malesia, known to be or have been cultivated in Micronesia, on several of the high islands.

ETHNOBOTANY.—This is the plant that yields the black pepper and the white pepper of commerce. It has been planted on an experimental scale in several places in Micronesia, e.g., Palau (fide Okabe, 1940) and Guam (Safford, 1902); some of excellent quality is produced for sale in Ponape, called there, “Sele Soal” fide Salomon and George.

GEOGRAPHIC RECORDS AND SPECIMENS EXAMINED

MARIANAS ISLANDS.—Yuncker, 1959:90 (“No specimens seen in Micronesian collections examined”).

Guam: Mangilao, Dept. Agriculture Nursery, Falanruw & Barcinas 998 (UG, US).

CAROLINE ISLANDS.—Palau: Koror, cultivated, Cheatham 168 (US); Blackburn 161 (US).

Ponape: Ponsakir, Salomon & George 9 (US).