Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe which is about 5 mm in diameter, dark red, and contains a stone which encloses a single pepper seed.

Scientific name: Piper nigrum

Higher classification: Pepper plants

Rank: Species

Family: Piperaceae

Kingdom: Plantae

Order: Piperales