Family: Rutaceae
Scientific name: Zanthoxylum piperitum
Common name: Japanese pepper
Origin: Japan

The Japanese pepper tree grows in the hills and mountains of Japan and therefore is a hardy tree up to -15 degrees. The small tree or shrub stays reasonably small with a maximum growth of 2 meters. It has delightfully smelling, aromatic and shiny leaves. The small green yellow flowers are followed by red fruits of about 5mm. In Japan they dry these fruits and use them in some of their dishes. These fruits also contain black seeds that can be ground and used as black pepper. With this plant you can harvest your own pepper from your garden! The plant is monotonous, so you should have a male and female plant to produce seeds.  

Sowing instructions: First scrub the seeds with sandpaper without harming the germ. Soak the seeds in lukewarm water for 24 hours and then the seeds can be sown in sowing ground. The whole pot should be placed in the fridge for 3 months. Keep the soil moist. After 3 months, the seeds should be taken out of the fridge and should germinate at 20-25 degrees Celcius. 

Sowing time: November - May
Difficulty: Intermediate
Minimum temperature: -15 degrees Celsius

Foto 1: Rduta via Flickr (CCA-2.0)
Foto 2: Laurent Renault