Uziza (West African pepper)
Piper guineense
A climbing pepper: peppery leaves for soups, and berries dried like black pepper.
Hardiness: zones 10 to 12
Light: part shade
Size: about 25 ft tall, 3 ft wide
Harvest: year-round
From: West and Central African forests
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.
Good for: food, traditional use.
Native to: West & Central African forests. Hardy in zones 10 to 12.
The story
Uziza is the West African pepper vine: Igbo cooks add its leaves to pepper soup and ofe nsala, and dry the berries like black pepper. It climbs forest trees from Guinea to Congo.
Planting
Part shade, rich moist soil, and a tree, post or wall to climb. Grows from stem cuttings with a node or two.
Growing
Keep mulched and moist; train it up a support and pinch tips to make it bushy.
Harvest and use
Pick leaves any time for soups; berries ripen red, then dry to black.
What to watch for
Strong flavour, so start with a few leaves. Frost-tender.
Safety
Medicinal uses here are shared as history, not advice. Kitchen amounts are fine for most people, but teas, tinctures and supplements can interact with medicines and aren't safe for everyone, especially in pregnancy, while breastfeeding, for children, or with liver or kidney problems. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before taking any plant as medicine.
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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