Capsicum annuum

Capsicum annuum is a herb or small shrub growing to a height between 0.3 to 1.2 metres (1–4 feet) and a width of 15 to 30 cm (6–12 inches). It has roughly oval glossy leaves with smooth margins reaching up to 7.5 cm (3 inches) in length. In some cultivars leaves turn dark purple or black.[8]

Flowers are star or bell-shaped with 4–5 petals which can be white, green, or purple in colour. Its fruit is a true berry coming in a variety of shapes, sizes, pungency, and sweetness. Depending on cultivar, fruit may be green, red, yellow, orange, or black, with many changing colour as they mature.[9]

While generally self-pollinating, insect visitation is known to increase the fruit size and speed of ripening, as well as to ensure symmetrical development. Pepper flowers have nectaries at the base of the corolla, which helps to attract pollinators. The anthers do not release pollen except via buzz pollination, such as provided by bumble bees.[10]

The genus name Capsicum derives from a Greek-based derivative of the Latin word ‘kapto’, meaning ‘to bite’, in reference to the heat or pungency of the species’ fruit, although it has also been speculated to derive from the Latin word ‘capsa’, a box, referring to the shape of the fruit in forms of the typical species.[11] Although the species name annuum means 'annual' (from the Latin annus "year"), the plant is not an annual but is frost tender.[12] In the absence of winter frosts it can survive several seasons and grow into a large, shrubby perennial herb.[13]

Common names including the word "pepper" stem from a misconception on the part of Europeans taking part in the Columbian exchange. They mistakingly thought the spicy fruits were a variety of the black pepper plant which also has spicy fruit. However, these two plants are not closely related.[14]

Commonly used names for the fruit of Capsicum annuum in English varies by location and cultivar. The larger, sweeter cultivars are called "capsicum" in Australia and New Zealand.[15] In Great Britain and Ireland cultivars of the plant are typically discussed in groups of either “sweet” or “hot/chilli” peppers, only rarely providing the specific cultivar.[16] In Canada or the US it is commonplace to provide the cultivar in most instances, for example "bell", "jalapeño", "cayenne", or "bird's eye" peppers, to convey differences in taste including sweetness or pungency.[17]

In 2014, based on linguistic, ecological, archaeological and genetic evidence, scientists traced origins of chili pepper (Capsicum annuum) to central-east Mexico. This domestication was dated to more than 6,500 years ago (4,500 BC).[18][19]

While the genetic evidence seems to point to northeastern Mexico as the area of domestication, evidence from some other related lines of study rather supports the central-east region of Mexico as the domestication centre. This is the area extending from the southern part of Puebla state of Mexico, to northern Oaxaca state, and to southeastern Veracruz state.[20]

The potato tuber moth (Phthorimaea operculella) is an oligophagous insect that prefers to feed on plants of the family Solanaceae such as pepper plants. Female P. operculella use the leaves to lay their eggs, and the hatched larvae eat away at the mesophyll of the leaf.

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  Capsicum annuum L var. fasciculatum Irish.
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  Capsicum annuum L. var. fasciculatum Irish.
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  Dried Capsicum annuum Red chili pepper
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  Capsicum annuum cultivars
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  Dried Guajillo chile pod
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  Typical Capsicum annuum flower, Royal Embers.
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  Bolivian Rainbow with its fruits in different stages of ripeness.
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  Capsicum annuum var. bola or ñora
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  Capsicum annuum Count Dracula
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  Dried Capsicum annuum Red chili pepper on Nanglo
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  Dried Capsicum annuum Red chili pepper
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  NuMex Memorial Day
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  Capsicum annuum Explosive Embers
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  Chili pepper 'subicho' seeds for planting
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  Bell pepper in Eastern Siberia

• List of Capsicum cultivars
• Paprika
• Chili pepper

• Malgorzata, Materska (March 2015). "Flavone C-glycosides from Capsicum annuum L.: relationships between antioxidant activity and lipophilicity". European Food Research and Technology. 240 (3): 549–557. doi:10.1007/s00217-014-2353-2.
• Arimboor, Ranjith; Natarajan, Ramesh Babu; Menon, K. Ramakrishna; Chandrasekhar, Lekshmi. P; Moorkoth, Vidya (March 2015). "Red pepper (Capsicum annuum) carotenoids as a source of natural food colors: analysis and stability-a review". Journal of Food Science and Technology. 52 (3): 1258–1271. doi:10.1007/s13197-014-1260-7. PMC 4348314. PMID 25745195.

• Capsicum annuum in the CalPhotos photo database, University of California, Berkeley
• "Capsicum annuum". Calflora. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database.
• "Capsicum annuum". Plants for a Future.