Notes from the Field

October 2022

Did you know that…

Globally, there are more than 1500 species of pepper (under the genus Piper)? Of these, 600 are found in Southeast Asia, and 21 species are found in the Indian subcontinent – one of these being black pepper (Piper nigrum).

Pepper is said to have “colonised” the Indian subcontinent from Southeast Asia sometime between 27 and 15 million years ago. Later, several species of pepper developed about the same time as when climactic conditions in the peninsula changed to frequent and intense monsoons.

Pepper continues to change with the changing climate.

Scientists have predicted ecological changes in black pepper and other pepper species in future climate scenarios.

Additionally, due to intensive land-use changes and habitat loss in the Western Ghats, many wild varieties of black pepper are disappearing slowly.

Pepper is yet another important unit in the intricate web of ecological relationships, which is threatened by several anthropogenic factors, like many other beings that we share spaces with.

Have you checked out our Biligiri Black Pepper as yet?