Pipe vine (Aristolochia fimbriata) is a perennial ground-creeping vine that is a host plant to the pipe vine swallowtail butterfly.

Black pepper (Piper nigrum) seeds, or peppercorns, are the berries that have been picked when full-sized but unripe, and set to dry in the sun. Pepper can be used to flavor mostly all food dishes. Pepper is warming, improves digestion, lowers fevers and acts as an expectorant. It is also used as a preservative for meats and sausages.

Angel’s trumpet (Brugmansia suaveolens) has been used traditionally as an anti-spasmodic, anti-asthmatic, and anesthetic. However, angel’s trumpet is highly toxic; do not consume any part of the plants as they all contain harmful alkaloids.

Dwarf red variegated banana (Musa acuminata ‘Sumatrana’) is a semi-hardy perennial in Central Texas. It has never grown higher than 4 feet in our garden and has never produced bananas. The variegation makes it a lovely plant for the ornamental landscape however.