''Capsicum cardenasii'' is a plant species in 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 ...

'' and the family

Solanaceae The Solanaceae , or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and orn ...

. It is a diploid with 2n=2x=24. It is a member within the '' C. pubescens'' complex, a group of closely related ''

'' species. It is closely related to '' C. eximium''. It is native to the Andes, and it can be found in

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. The native name is ''ulupica''.

Vegetative characteristics

''Capsicum cardenasii,'' like most members of the ''Pubescens complex'', is a perennial plant that develops woody stems. The plant can grow up 2–3 feet high with a width of 1-1.5 feet. The leaves are narrow,

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

and

pubescent The adjective pubescent may describe: * people or animals undergoing puberty * plants that are hairy, covered in trichomes * insects that are covered in setae In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a ...

. Plants generally produce between 1 and 2 flowers at the

internodes A stem is one of two main structural axes of a vascular plant, the other being the root. It supports leaves, flowers and fruits, transports water and dissolved substances between the roots and the shoots in the xylem and phloem, stores nutrien ...

. The petioles grow erect and have

campanulate This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

, pendant flowers. The corolla is white and purple colored. The plant produces small, fleshy, red fruit. It is likely the wild ancestor of rocoto peppers. The plant requires a cool, freeze free environment and long growing season similar to its native environment in the Andes.

Reproduction

After fertilization ''C. cardenasii'' develops small round red berries, sometimes referred to as chiltepins. The fruits contain a small number of seed. The fruit are pungent, near 30 000 SHU (

Scoville Heat Units The Scoville scale is a measurement of the pungency (spiciness or "heat") of chili peppers, as recorded in Scoville heat units (SHU), based on the concentration of capsaicinoids, among which capsaicin is the predominant component. The scale ...

), making them quite spicy. ''Capsicum cardenasii'' is

self-incompatible 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 ...

, and exhibits unilateral incompatibility with species outside the pubescens clade.

Uses

Its primary use is as a spice. Many wild ''Capsicums'' exhibit disease resistance of interest to plant breeders. ''C. cardenasii'' has been shown to be resistant to

tobacco mosaic virus ''Tobacco mosaic virus'' (TMV) is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus species in the genus ''Tobamovirus'' that infects a wide range of plants, especially tobacco and other members of the family Solanaceae. The infection causes characteri ...

(TMV), and there is a possibility that one day this resistance may be transferred to other capsicum species through breeding.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1035039 cardenasii Flora of the Andes Crops originating from South America