P. officinarum is principally used and is considered the best; both are gathered when green, when they are hotter than when quite ripe. In P. officinarum the fruit is a dark grey colour with a weak aromatic odour and a very fiery pungent taste.

In P. longum the fruits are shorter and thicker and the constituents almost identical with P. nigrum. It contains piperine, a soft green resin, a burning acridity, a volatile oil which possibly gives it its odour; it is inferior to P. nigrum and most used as its adulterant.