Mountain Pepper

Previously known as Drimys aromatica Red Spice, Tasmannia lanceolata Red Spice is a large, slow-growing, evergreen shrub with a dense, upright habit, deep red stems and cinnamon-scented bark and leaves. The lance-shaped leaves emerge copper-tinted, turning a glossy, deep green, paler below. In spring, the shrub bears clusters of fragrant, pale greenish-yellow flowers with narrow, twisting petals and, on the male flowers, bright yellow anthers. The flowers are followed by glossy black berries in autumn. Mountain pepper must have acid to neutral soil, and is not for very cold, exposed areas.