CAT-00069
Mountain pepper
Tasmannia lanceolata
Catalog fields
- Genus
- Tasmannia
- Photo
- Not recorded
- Edible
- Yes
- layout
- single
- Habitat
- Grows in open forest or temperate rainforest; 300–1400 m alt.
- Published
- Yes
- Food group
- Herb / spice
- Latin name
- Tasmannia lanceolata
- Fruit photo
- Not recorded
- Plant title
- Mountain pepper
- Source URLs
- https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Tasmannia%20lanceolata | https://tuckerbush.com.au/pepperberry-tasmannia-lanceolata/ Open source ↗ Open source 2 ↗
- Catalogue ID
- CAT-00069
- Mature width
- 2-4m
- Native range
- Southeastern New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Tasmania.
- Plant family
- Winteraceae
- Supplier SKU
- Not recorded
- Listing group
- Common bush-food crop
- Mature height
- 3-5m
- Native states
- NSW, TAS, VIC
- Original list
- No
- Research date
- 10/10/2026
- Research notes
- Profile enriched from botanical/nursery sources. Dimensions are unpruned regional estimates where available; missing measurements remain explicit. Seasons are regional guides and vary with climate, location, cultivar and plant maturity. Drought and cultivation guidance are qualitative garden inferences, not measured ratings.
- Evidence status
- Nursery food-use source; preparation detail review pending
- Fruiting season
- Autumn.
- Background photo
- Not recorded
- Edible component
- Leaves and berries
- Flowering season
- Spring.
- Brief description
- Evergreen aromatic shrub; male and female plants separate.
- Drought tolerance
- Low; needs cool moist conditions.
- Preparation notes
- Use verified food-grade leaves or ripe berries sparingly as a peppery spice; female plants bear fruit.
- Flower description
- Small cream to pale-yellow flowers; male and female flowers on separate plants.
- General cultivation
- General guidance (qualitative): Prefers cool conditions; provide shade and consistent moisture. Hot climates may be difficult.
- Botanical description
- Bushy shrub to small tree, 1.5–4 m high; branchlets smooth, reddish. Leaves: petiole 2–6 mm long; lamina lanceolate, narrow-elliptic or oblanceolate, 2–12 cm long, 0.6–3.5 cm wide, acute apex, paler below. Petals 3–9, linear-oblong or narrowly obovate, 4–10 mm long, 1.5–3.5 mm wide. Male flowers: pedicels 8–25 mm long; stamens 15–28; sterile carpel 1 (rarely absent or 2). Female flowers: pedicels 4–12 mm long; carpel 1 (or 2), sessile; ovules 9–18. Apocarps globose and deeply furrowed, 5–10 mm long, deep maroon to glossy black; transversely septate pulpa absent; stipes 0.1–0.3 mm long. Seeds 4–18, strongly curved, 2.5–3.5 mm long, 1.3–2 mm wide.
- Other botanical names
- Not recorded
- Attracts birds and bugs
- Native bees and insects visit flowers; canopy shelters birds.
- Flora of Australia profile
- https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Tasmannia%20lanceolata Open source ↗
- Fruit type and description
- Dark peppery berries on female plants.
- Flora of Australia citation
- G.P. Guymer. Tasmannia lanceolata. Flora of Australia, Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Canberra. https://profiles.ala.org.au/opus/foa/profile/Tasmannia%20lanceolata (accessed 2026-10-14). Copyright Commonwealth of Australia; CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). HTML formatting removed; species-level context added where noted. Open source ↗ Open source 2 ↗
- Flora of Australia retrieved
- 14/10/2026