198 ^ Treatise on 
Piper Nigrum , Off. Piper rctundum , C. B. P. 41 1. 
Black Pepper is a fmall round Grain, or dry Fruit, 
about as big as a letter Sort of Pea, with a black 
or dark brown wrinkled Bark, wherein is included 
an hardifh and compadt Subftance •, of which the ex- 
terior Orbit is of a yellowifh green Colour, and the 
interior white, leaving when broken a fmall Hol- 
low in the Middle. The whole is of an acrid 
and extremely hot, or burning Tafte. It is brought 
from thofe Parts of the Eaft Indies which belong to 
the Dutch. The larger, heavier, and lefs wrinkled 
it is, the better. 
The Plant whereof it is the Fruit is called Lada y 
aliis , Molanga^ Jive Piper Aromaticum , Pifon. Mantis. 
Arom. 180. Molago-coddi , Hort. Malah. 1723. It 
grows in Java , Sumatra , and in all Parts of Ma- 
labar. 
Piper Album et Leucopiper , Off. Piper rotundum 
album , C. B. P. White Pepper is of two Sorts. 
The one native, which feldom comes to us : The 
other, which is very xommon, is factitious, being 
nothing but decorticated black Pepper. The De- 
cortication is performed by macerating the black 
Pepper in Sea- Water till the Bark fwells and cracks, 
fo as to be eafiiy feparated from the inner Sub- 
ftance ; and then it is laid in the Sun to dry. It 
cj iff ers from black Pepper in having a cineritious 
or whititti Colour, and milder Qualities. 
The Plants to which the native white and the 
black Pepper belong, like the Vines producing 
white and black Grapes, are only diftinguilhable 
from each other when the Fruit is upon them ; but 
the white is much fcarcer, being to be met with 
no where but in fome few Places in Malabar and 
Malacca . Stephanus de Flacourt , in his Defcription 
of Madagafcar , tells us that a Species of white Pep- 
per grows in that Ifland j but as he does not: de- 
fcrlbe 
