''Capsicum frutescens'' is a wild

chili pepper Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...

having genetic proximity to the cultivated pepper '' Capsicum chinense'' native to Central and

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 sout ...

. Pepper

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

s of ''C. frutescens'' can be annual or short-lived perennial plants. Flowers are white with a greenish white or greenish yellow corolla, and are either insect- or self-pollinated. The plants' berries typically grow erect; ellipsoid-conical to lanceoloid shaped. They are usually very small and pungent, growing long and in diameter. Fruit typically grows a pale yellow and matures to a bright red, but can also be other colors. ''C. frutescens'' has a smaller variety of shapes compared to other ''Capsicum'' species. ''C. frutescens'' has been bred to produce ornamental strains because of its large quantities of erect peppers growing in colorful ripening patterns.

Cultivars

''Capsicum frutescens'' includes the following

s and/or

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

: *Wiri Wiri, from Guyana *Cabai Rawit, from Indonesia, used in hot

Sambal Sambal is an Indonesian chilli sauce or paste, typically made from a mixture of a variety of chilli peppers with secondary ingredients, such as shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, and lime juice. ''Sambal'' is an ...

. * Hawaiian pepper * Malagueta pepper *

Piri piri ( , often hyphenated or as one word, and with variant spellings , ''piripiri'' or ) is a cultivar of ''Capsicum frutescens'' from the malagueta pepper. It was originally produced by Portuguese explorers in Portugal's former Southern African t ...

, also called African Bird's Eye or African devil *

Siling Labuyo ''Siling labuyo'' is a small chili pepper cultivar that developed in the Philippines after the Columbian Exchange. It belongs to the species '' Capsicum frutescens'' and is characterized by triangular fruits which grow pointing upwards. The fru ...

, from the Philippines. *

Tabasco pepper The tabasco pepper is a variety of the chili pepper species ''Capsicum frutescens'' originating in Mexico. It is best known through its use in Tabasco sauce, followed by peppered vinegar. Like all ''C. frutescens'' cultivars, the tabasco plant ...

, used to make

Tabasco sauce Tabasco is an American brand of hot sauce made from vinegar, tabasco peppers ('' Capsicum frutescens'' var. ''tabasco''), and salt. It is produced by McIlhenny Company of Avery Island in south Louisiana, having been created over 150 years ago ...

* Xiao mi la pepper, literally "little rice pepper", from Yunnan province in China.

Origins and distribution

Capsicum 'Siling Labuyo' (Mindanao, Philippines) 2

The ''Capsicum frutescens'' species likely originated in South or Central America. It spread quickly throughout the tropical and subtropical regions in this area and still grows wild today. ''Capsicum frutescens'' is native to

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

and Northern and Western

. ''C. frutescens'' may be related to '' C. chinense''.

Uses

Ethiopia

According to

Richard Pankhurst Richard Marsden Pankhurst (1834 – 5 July 1898) was an English barrister and socialist who was a strong supporter of women's rights. Early life Richard Pankhurst was the son of Henry Francis Pankhurst (1806–1873) and Margaret Marsden (1 ...

, ''C. frutescens'' (known as ''barbaré'') was so important to the national cuisine of Ethiopia, at least as early as the 19th century, "that it was cultivated extensively in the warmer areas wherever the soil was suitable." Although it was grown in every province, ''barbaré'' was especially extensive in

Yejju Yejju Oromo people are a sub clan of the Barento branch of Oromo people. They are one of the northernmost communities of Oromo people residing in Ethiopia. During the 17th century, the Yejju dynasty, more specifically, the Warra Sheik, or sons o ...

, "which supplied much of Showa as well as other neighbouring provinces". He singles out the upper Golima River valley as almost entirely devoted to cultivating this plant, where thousands of acres were devoted to the plant and it was harvested year-round.

India

This pepper is common in eastern and southern India where it grows readily in a favorable climate. It is known locally by various common names.

Pests

Helicoverpa assulta ''Helicoverpa assulta'', the oriental tobacco budworm, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. ''H. assulta'' adults are migratory and are found all over the Old World Tropics including Asia, Africa, and Australia. This species has a brown coloured ...

'' is one of very few insects that can successfully feed on the red pepper because it can tolerate capsaicin.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q311426 Chili peppers Crops originating from Ecuador frutescens Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus