Pepper: pest-free, no fertilizer needed, the older the plant the more fruit, Taiwan native red-stem pepperwort, grow it on your balcony

Black pepper is a must for steak and pasta, and once peeled it becomes white pepper. Pepper loves shady areas and is a perennial plant; the longer it lives, the more fruit it produces. Its spicy leaves keep insects away, and it rarely gets sick, so no pesticides or fertilizer are needed. It gets its nutrients only from fallen leaves and humus, and it can be harvested all year round.

Plants in the pepper family (Piperaceae) are diverse. Besides the commonly eaten black pepper, there is also the foliage-type Taiwan native red-stem pepperwort and the large round-leaf pepper whose leaves are edible. The Taiwan Forestry Research Institute's Liukuei Research Center has established the "Shanping Pepper Garden", collecting more than twenty species of Piperaceae plants, such as: pepper, betel pepper vine, large round-leaf pepper, red-stem pepperwort, and other vines. It is open for ecological education visits so that people can learn more about Piperaceae plants.

Pepperwood and maqaw are not in the pepper family; betel pepper vine and the green wall plant are

Gong Guan-ning, an assistant researcher at the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, explains that Piperaceae plants worldwide comprise 8 genera. In Taiwan, the common ones are the Peperomia genus and the Piper genus. The black and white pepper we commonly eat belongs to the Piper genus and originated in India. Red-stem pepperwort is a Taiwan native species, and the betel pepper vine added to betel nut, along with the round-leaf pepperwort often planted in green walls around construction projects, are also in the pepper family.

The black and white pepper sold on the market actually comes from the same source; the difference lies in how it is processed. Gong Guan-ning explains that drying the ripe fruit produces black pepper, while soaking the fruit in water for 7-10 days, washing off the skin and then drying it produces white pepper.

As for the mountain pepper "maqaw" commonly used by indigenous peoples, it is not in the pepper family but in the Lauraceae family, genus Litsea. Because of its special flavor, it is mostly used in indigenous cooking, which is why it is called "mountain pepper". Brazilian pepper tree is given the name "pepper" because its fruit has a pungent taste, but it actually belongs to the Anacardiaceae family.

Pepper does not like direct sun; black pepper becomes white pepper once peeled

Gong Guan-ning explains that pepper is a partial-sun plant that likes shady places. It is a perennial woody vine that often climbs on trees and can reach a height of 4 m. Because of its trailing habit, once its stem touches the ground it quickly takes root.

The native Piper genus plants in Taiwan are mostly found in the higher-elevation valley dense forests and open forests of Kaohsiung-Pingtung and Hengchun, and sometimes they also climb in coastal forests, under shrubs, or among higher coral reef rocks. Gong Guan-ning says that because pepper dislikes strong light, it mostly grows in the lower layers of dense forests and only climbs to higher places afterward.

Third-generation farming family at Shishan Pepper Garden: growing pepper needs no fertilizer or pesticides

Located in Liukuei, Kaohsiung, Shishan Pepper Garden is the largest pepper farm in Taiwan, with a planting area of 2-3 jia. The farm owner, Chen Zhen-shan, is already the third generation to take over. "Pepper is a perennial; the older it gets, the more branches it grows, and the more new shoots it puts out. Once the new shoots emerge, you can harvest pepper." Chen Zhen-shan recounts that since his grandfather planted it, several decades have passed, and the planting area will continue to expand in the future.

When asked about the difficulties encountered in growing pepper, Chen Zhen-shan was stumped. "Since we started growing it, we have never encountered disease; the leaves taste spicy, so insects do not dare come near." Normally it takes only him and his mother to care for the pepper, and only at harvest time do they need to hire pickers. He says pepper needs no pesticides or fertilizer, getting its nutrients only from fallen leaves and humus, and it can be harvested all year round.

Part of the harvested pepper is sold to processing businesses for meat sauces, most is used for making pepper-flavored meals for visitors, and pepper seedlings are also sold to other farmers across Taiwan. Chen Zhen-shan says pepper will grow attached to other taller plants, and can even be grown under betel nut trees, able to