Mountain pepper (pepperberry)

Tasmannia lanceolata

Red stems, glossy leaves and black berries that start sweet and then set your mouth alight.

Type: shrub · perennial vegetables, greens and herbs
Hardiness: zones 7 to 10
Light: part shade
Size: about 12 ft tall, 8 ft wide
Harvest: September to November
From: Tasmania and the southeast Australian highlands
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.

Good for: food, wildlife.

Native to: Australia. Hardy in zones 7 to 10.

The story

Mountain pepper grows in the cool, wet forests of Tasmania and the southeast highlands. Its heat comes from a compound unrelated to pepper or chili. Aboriginal peoples used the plant, and settlers ground the berries when their pepper ran out.

Planting

Part shade, shelter and moist, acid, humus-rich soil. Plant a male and a female for berries.

Growing

Keep it moist and mulched. Clip it lightly for a hedge.

Harvest and use

Dry the leaves as a milder, herby spice. Pick the black berries in autumn and dry them: first sweet, then a slow heat that builds. Use sparingly.

What to watch for

Drought, hot sun and wind.

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More perennial vegetables, greens and herbs

General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home