| Capsicum annuum |
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| Scientific classification |
| Kingdom: |
Plantae |
| (unranked): |
Angiosperms |
| (unranked): |
Eudicots |
| (unranked): |
Asterids |
| Order: |
Solanales |
| Family: |
Solanaceae |
| Genus: |
Capsicum |
| Species: |
C. annuum |
| Binomial name |
Capsicum annuum
L. |
| Varieties |
- C. annuum var. annuum
- C. annuum var. glabriusculum[1]
- Capsicum annuum var. bola (aka var. ñora)[2]
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| Synonyms[3] |
- Capsicum abyssinicum A.Rich.
- Capsicum angulosum Mill.
- Capsicum axi Vell.
- Capsicum bauhinii Dunal
- Capsicum caerulescens Besser
- Capsicum cerasiforme Mill.
- Capsicum ceratocarpum Fingerh.
- Capsicum cereolum Bertol.
- Capsicum comarim Vell.
- Capsicum conicum Lam.
- Capsicum conoide Mill.
- Capsicum conoides Roem. & Schult.
- Capsicum conoideum Mill.
- Capsicum cordiforme Mill.
- Capsicum crispum Dunal
- Capsicum cydoniforme Roem. & Schult.
- Capsicum dulce Dunal
- Capsicum fasciculatum Sturtev.
- Capsicum fastigiatum Blume
- Capsicum frutescens L.
- Capsicum globiferum G.Mey.
- Capsicum globosum Besser
- Capsicum grossum L.
- Capsicum indicum auct.
- Capsicum longum DC.
- Capsicum milleri Roem. & Schult.
- Capsicum minimum Mill.
- Capsicum odoratum Steud.
- Capsicum odoriferum Vell.
- Capsicum oliviforme Mill.
- Capsicum ovatum DC.
- Capsicum petenense Standl.
- Capsicum pomiferum Mart. ex Steud.
- Capsicum purpureum Vahl ex Hornem.
- Capsicum pyramidale Mill.
- Capsicum quitense Willd. ex Roem. & Schult.
- Capsicum silvestre Vell.
- Capsicum sphaerium Willd.
- Capsicum tetragonum Mill.
- Capsicum tomatiforme Fingerh. ex Steud.
- Capsicum torulosum Hornem.
- Capsicum tournefortii Besser
- Capsicum ustulatum Paxton
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Capsicum annuum is a species of the plant genus Capsicum native to southern North America and northern South America.[1][4] This species is the most common and extensively cultivated of the five domesticated capsicums. The species encompasses a wide variety of shapes and sizes of peppers, both mild and hot, such as bell peppers, jalapeños, and cayenne peppers. Cultivars are descended from the wild American bird pepper still found in warmer regions of the Americas.[5] In the past some woody forms of this species have been called C. frutescens, but the features that were used to distinguish those forms appear in many populations of C. annuum and it is not a consistently recognizable feature in C. frutescens species. [6] Moreover, crosses between C.annuum and C. frutescens aren't likely because seeds obtained from polliations between those two species (if the embryo survives) will not germinate. [7]
Contents
- 1 Characteristics
- 2 Uses
- 2.1 Culinary
- 2.2 Medicinal
- 2.3 Ornamental
- 3 Gallery
- 4 See also
- 5 References
- 6 Further reading
- 7 External links
Characteristics
Although the species name annuum means “annual” (from the Latin annus “year”), the plant is not an annual and in the absence of winter frosts can survive several seasons and grow into a large perennial shrub.[8] The single flowers are an off-white (sometimes purplish) color while the stem is densely branched and up to 60 cm (24 in) tall. The fruit are berries that may be green, yellow or red when ripe.[9] While the species can tolerate most climates, C. annuum is especially productive in warm and dry climates.
Uses
Culinary
The species is a source of popular sweet peppers and hot chilis with numerous varieties cultivated all around the world, and is the source of popular spices such as cayenne, chili, and paprika powders.
Common naming in English falls generally in line with the flavor and size of the variant. Larger, sweeter variants are called "capsicums" in Australia, sweet peppers in Great Britain, and red or green peppers,[10] or "bell peppers" in the United States. The smaller, hotter varieties are called chillis,[11] chilies, chile, or chili peppers, or in parts of the US, 'peppers'.
Capsinoid chemicals provide the distinctive tastes in C. annuum variants. In particular, capsaicin creates a burning sensation ("hotness"), which in extreme cases can last for several hours after ingestion. A measurement called the Scoville scale has been created to describe the hotness of peppers and other foods.
Medicinal
Capsicum annuum cultivars
Hot peppers are used in medicine as well as food in Africa[12] and other places around the world.
English botanist John Lindley described C. annuum on page 509 of his 1838 'Flora Medica' thus:
| “ |
It is employed in medicine, in combination with Cinchona in intermittent and lethargic affections, and also in atonic gout, dyspepsia accompanied by flatulence, tympanitis, paralysis etc. Its most valuable application appears however to be in cynanche maligna (acute diphtheria) and scarlatina maligna (malignant Scarlet fever, used either as a gargle or administered internally.) |
” |
In ayurvedic medicine, C. annuum is classified as follows:[13]
- Gunna (properties) – ruksh (dry), laghu (light) and tikshan (sharp)
- Rasa dhatu (taste) – katu (pungent)
- Virya (potency) – ushan (hot)
Ornamental
Some cultivars grown specifically for their aesthetic value include the U.S. National Arboretum's Black Pearl[14] and the Bolivian Rainbow. Ornamental varieties tend to have unusually colored fruit and foliage with colors such as black and purple being notable. All are edible, and most (like Royal Black) are hot.
Gallery
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Typical C. annuum flower, Royal Embers.
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Bolivian Rainbow with its fruits in different stages of ripeness.
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Five colors of peppers in an Israeli supermarket
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Capsicum annuum var. bola or ñora
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Chili pepper 'subicho' seeds for planting
See also
- List of Capsicum cultivars
- Paprika
- Chili pepper
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Capsicum annuum. |
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Wikispecies has information related to: Capsicum annuum |
- ^ a b "Capsicum annuum L.". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 1997-01-22. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
- ^ Minguez Mosquera, M. I.; Hornero Mendez, D. (1994) "Comparative study of the effect of paprika processing on the carotenoids in peppers Capsicum annuum of the Bola and Agridulce varieties", Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 42(7): 1555-1560
- ^ "The Plant List".
- ^ Latham, Elizabeth (2009-02-03). "The colourful world of chillies". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
- ^ Francis, John K. (2003-09-09). "Capsicum annuum L. bird pepper - USDA Forest Service" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-09-30.
- ^ Zhi-Yun Zhang, Anmin Lu & William G. D'Arcy. "Capsicum annuum Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 188. 1753". Flora of China. 17. pp. 313–313.
- ^ http://www.scielo.br/pdf/cbab/v11n3/a06v11n3.pdf
- ^ Katzer, Gernot (May 27, 2008). "Paprika (Capsicum annuum L.)". Retrieved December 1, 2012.
- ^ Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (1 July 2006). Safety assessment of transgenic organisms: OECD consensus documents. OECD Publishing. pp. 299–. ISBN 978-92-64-02258-4. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
- ^ Pepper
- ^ Chilli
- ^ Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (2004) Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA Foundation, Wageningen; Backhuys, Leiden; CTA, Wageningen.
- ^ "Capsicum Annuum". Retrieved February 21, 2011.
- ^ "Capsicum annuum "Black Pearl"" (PDF). U.S. National Arboretum. March 2006. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
Further reading
Malgorzata, Materska (March 2015). "Flavone C-glycosides from Capsicum annuum L.: relationships between antioxidant activity and lipophilicity". 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.
External links
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Capsicum cultivars
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| C. annuum var. annuum |
Aleppo · Banana pepper · Bell pepper · Bird's eye · Cascabel · Cayenne · Cheongyang · Chilaca · Cubanelle · De árbol · Dundicut · Espelette · Facing heaven · 'Fresno Chili' · Friggitello · Guajillo · Guntur Sannam · Hungarian wax · Jalapeño · Medusa · Mulato · New Mexico (a.k.a. Anaheim/Hatch) · Padrón · Pasilla · Peter · Pimiento · Poblano · Santa Fe Grande · Serrano · Shishito
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| C. annuum var. glabriusculum |
Piquín · Wild chiltepin
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| C. chinense |
Adjuma · Ají dulce · Bhut jolokia · 'Carolina Reaper' · Datil · Fatalii · Habanero · Hainan yellow lantern · 'Madame Jeanette' · 'Naga Morich' · 'Red Savina' habanero · Scotch bonnet · Trinidad moruga scorpion · Trinidad scorpion 'Butch T'
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| C. frutescens |
African bird's eye · Kambuzi · Malagueta · Siling labuyo · Tabasco
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| C. baccatum |
Ají · Bishop's crown · Lemon drop · Peppadew
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| C. pubescens |
Rocoto pepper
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| Taxon identifiers |
- Wd: Q1380
- EoL: 581098
- FOC: 200020513
- GBIF: 2932944
- GRIN: 8904
- iNaturalist: 48514
- IPNI: 316944-2
- ITIS: 30492
- NCBI: 4072
- Plant List: kew-2698415
- PLANTS: CAAN4
- Tropicos: 29600002
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