Black Pepper is the dried mature berry of Piper nigrum, a climbing, perennial shrub mostly found in the hot, moist region of Southern India. Under cultivation, pepper vines are trailed over support as columns, 5-6 meters tall, 1-2 meter in diameter.

The climbing woody stems have swollen nods with clinging roots at each node, which helps in anchoring the vine to the support trees (standards).

It has a straight upward growing main stem and has lateral shoots from the axils of the leaves having shorter inter nodes without adventitious roots. In such branches, the terminal buds get modified into an inflorescence (spike), and the auxiliary buds continue further growth.

Pepper is mostly used as an Indian masala by meatpackers and in canning, pickling, and baking, due to its preservative value. It can correct the seasoning of dishes. Therefore it is used as a final dash at the end of cooking to adjust the flavor effectively.

It is an essential component of the culinary seasoning of universal use and is a necessary ingredient of numerous commercial foodstuffs. It is also used as an ingredient in spice mixes