Occurrence (Special Areas) :
Indroda Park, Ayurvedic Udyan
About Piper nigrum Plant :
Habit : A stout, glabrous climber with stems terete, sparingly rooting, much thickened at the nodes.
Leaves : Coriaceous, broadly ovate, acuminate, glabrous, 5-9 nerved, the supra-basal nerves usually alternate, base usually rounded, more or less oblique, petiolate.
Inflorescence and Flowers :
Flowers in slightly interrupted glabrous spikes of variable length, dioecious or sometimes polygamous, bracts of the female spikes more or less adnate to the rachis, forming a short hemispheric cup beneath the ovary, bracteoles forming a semilunar ridge above the ovary.
Stamens 2.
Stigmas 2-4.
Fruits : Globose, half an inch or less, at first yellow, afterwards becoming red when fully ripe.
Flowering and Fruiting Time : During Monsoon season
Significance : Cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning.
