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Ethiopian pepper

Xylopia aethiopica

Also called Negro Pepper, Spicetree, Grains Of Selim

Ethiopian pepper
Photo: Gnagbo Anthelme, CC BY-SA 4.0

Ethiopian pepper is an evergreen aromatic tree from tropical Africa, growing up to about 20 m in the wild. It is grown mainly for its dried fruits (grains of Selim), used as a spice, and for its wood and bark.

Family
Annonaceae (Annon family)
Grows as
Tree
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Keep soil evenly moist during growth, but avoid waterlogging.
Soil
Well-drained, fertile, slightly acidic loam.
Temperature
22–32 °C; protect below 10 °C
How easy
Moderate
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
Trop. Africa
Climate
wet tropical

About

Xylopia aethiopica is an evergreen, aromatic tree, of the Annonaceae family that can grow up to 20m high. It is native to the lowland rainforest and moist fringe forests in the savanna zones of Africa.

The dried fruits of X. aethiopica (grains of Selim) are used as a spice and an herbal medicine.

Where it grows

Xylopia aethiopica grows in tropical Africa. It is present in rain forests, especially near the coast. It also grows in riverine and fringing forest, and as a pioneer species in arid savanna regions.

Uses

Xylopia aethiopica is used extensively in construction, African cuisine and traditional medicine.

Other Xylopia plants

Xylopia ferruginea

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Xylopia aethiopica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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