Mountain Pepper
Tasmania lanceolata (Winteraceae Family)
The Native
Pepperberry plant is naturally found in the cold high country in
Southern NSW, Victoria and Tasmania. This attractive 5 meter high
tree has shiny dark green pointed leaves with scarlet stemletts. It
has small, waxy, cream flowers which develop into dark charcoal
brown pepper berries, only born by the female plants.
Since only half the plants bear fruit, and it takes several
years to begin fruiting, the pepper berries are a highly valued
commodity. It is fortunate that the leaves of the Mountain Pepper
plant also have a distinctive flavour and are a more immediate
commercial crop. This plant also makes an attractive and useful
garden plant in the cooler parts of Southern Australia.
Mountain Pepper
plants feature heavily in indigenous traditional uses, both in
cooking and medicinally. Mountain Pepperleaf and it's berries are
now being cultivated in plantations across the cooler parts of
Australia.
Although Native Pepperberry can be used in the same way as
conventional pepper, it has an added herbal dimension, particularly
towards the end of the palate. The dark Pepperberries also infuse a
rich plum color to sauces. The Mountain Pepperleaf has a more
subtle, organic herbal flavour than the berry and is ideal where
the intensity of the pepperberry is too dominant.
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