''Capsicum eximium'' is a member of the genus ''

Capsicum ''Capsicum'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the Solanum, nightshade family Solanaceae, native to Americas, the Americas, cultivated worldwide for their chili pepper or bell pepper fruit. Etymology and names The generic name may come f ...

'' with 2n=2x=24, and native to the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...

, specifically the Andean region of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. It is one of the "purple-flowered" ''Capsicums'' along with '' Capsicum cardenasii'' and ''

Capsicum pubescens ''Capsicum pubescens'' is a plant of the genus ''Capsicum'' (pepper). The species name, ''pubescens'', refers to the hairy leaves of this pepper. The hairiness of the leaves, along with the black seeds, make ''Capsicum pubescens'' distinguishab ...

''. Like most other chili peppers, it is both

pungent Pungency () refers to the taste of food commonly referred to as spiciness, hotness or heat, found in foods such as chili peppers. Highly pungent tastes may be experienced as unpleasant. The term piquancy () is sometimes applied to foods with a l ...

and

self-compatible Self-incompatibility (SI) is a general name for several genetic mechanisms that prevent self-fertilization in sexually reproducing organisms, and thus encourage outcrossing and allogamy. It is contrasted with separation of sexes among individuals ...

. It is a member of the ''Pubescens'' ''complex,'' a natural group of highly related ''Capsicums''. Natural hybrids between '' C. pubescens'' as well as '' C. tovarii'' have been found, further supporting the relationship of these species.

Plant description

''Capsicum eximium'' is identified by its distinctive purple flowers. The flowers have an entire calyx and bell-shaped corolla that come in various shades of purple. Mature fruit of ''C. eximium'' are small, shiny, non-pulpy berries. The seeds are yellow.

Uses

In Bolivia, where the plants occur naturally, ''C. eximium'' is used as a spice. Also, since it is a wild pepper species, it has been used extensively in

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

studies to better understand the relationships of peppers and different gene models.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1035040 eximium