pepper

Climbing plant native to the East Indies. When gathered green, the berries are crushed to release the seeds for the spice called black pepper. When the berries are ripe, the seeds are removed and their outer skin is discarded, to produce white pepper. Chilli pepper, cayenne or red pepper, and the sweet peppers used as a vegetable come from capsicums native to the New World. (Piper nigrum, family Piperaceae.)