Piperaceae's the botanical name for a family of flowering plants. Such a family has been recognized by most taxonomists: it's sometimes known as the "pepper family". The best known species's Piper nigrum, which yields the most famous peppercorns used as a spice, including "black pepper", although its cousins in the family include many other spices. The APG II system, of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system, of 1998), also recognizes this family, and assigns it to the order Piperales in the cla… (More on Piperaceae)