- Family:
- Solanaceae Juss.
Capsicum L.

[FZ]
Flora Zambesiaca. Vol. 8, Part 4. Solanaceae. Gonçalves AE. 2005
- Morphology General Habit
- Annual or short-lived perennial herbs, rarely shrubby, often ± divaricately branched, unarmed, glabrous or pubescent with simple eglandular or glandular hairs Annual or short-lived perennial herbs, rarely shrubby, often ± divaricately branched, unarmed, glabrous or pubescent with simple eglandular or glandular hairs.
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves alternate, often 2 or 3 appearing together, mainly towards the ends of branches, abruptly or gradually tapering into a slightly winged petiole, mostly entire, to weakly dentate; minor leaves sometimes present Leaves alternate, often 2 or 3 appearing together, mainly towards the ends of branches, abruptly or gradually tapering into a slightly winged petiole, mostly entire, to weakly dentate; minor leaves sometimes present.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers 1–few, extra-axillary, leaf-opposed or appearing axillary, actinomorphic Flowers 1–few, extra-axillary, leaf-opposed or appearing axillary, actinomorphic.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx short, broadly campanulate to shortly tubular, 5(7)-ribbed, truncate, entire or 5(7)- or 10-dentate; teeth short, setaceous, often splitting at the sutures; in fruit usually slightly enlarged Calyx short, broadly campanulate to shortly tubular, 5(7)-ribbed, truncate, entire or 5(7)- or 10-dentate; teeth short, setaceous, often splitting at the sutures; in fruit usually slightly enlarged.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Corolla purple to bluish, yellowish, white or greenish, sometimes spotted, rotate to widely campanulate; tube short; limb plicate, deeply 5(7)-lobed, the lobes never overlapping in bud, with induplicate-valvate or valvate aestivation Corolla purple to bluish, yellowish, white or greenish, sometimes spotted, rotate to widely campanulate; tube short; limb plicate, deeply 5(7)-lobed, the lobes never overlapping in bud, with induplicate-valvate or valvate aestivation.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
- Stamens 5(7), variously inserted in the corolla tube, ± exserted; anthers oblong or cordate, connivent or free, basifixed, the ± parallel thecae dehiscing by longitudinal slits Stamens 5(7), variously inserted in the corolla tube, ± exserted; anthers oblong or cordate, connivent or free, basifixed, the ± parallel thecae dehiscing by longitudinal slits.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc
- Disk inconspicuous or none Disk inconspicuous or none.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
- Ovary 2(4)-locular; ovules hemicampylotropous, numerous in each locule, on a placenta adnate to the dissepiment or arising from the central angle of 2 dissepiments at the base.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
- Style filiform.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma
- Stigma capitate or slightly dilated, obsoletely 3-lobed or difformed
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
- Ovary 2(4)-locular; ovules hemicampylotropous, numerous in each locule, on a placenta adnate to the dissepiment or arising from the central angle of 2 dissepiments at the base; style filiform; stigma capitate or slightly dilated, obsoletely 3-lobed or difformed.
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit a berry, extremely variable in size and shape, seated on a flat or cupular calyx and greatly exceeding it, juiceless or somewhat juicy, incompletely 2–3(or rarely 1)-locular, sometimes with large air spaces in the locules, usually acrid. Fruit a berry, extremely variable in size and shape, seated on a flat or cupular calyx and greatly exceeding it, juiceless or somewhat juicy, incompletely 2–3(or rarely 1)-locular, sometimes with large air spaces in the locules, usually acrid
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds numerous, small, flat, compressed, suborbicular or ± reniform, with thickened margin; testa reticulate-rugose or almost smooth; embryo strongly curved or circinnate, subperipheral in the abundant, fleshy endosperm; radicle terete, as wide as the semi-terete cotyledons. Seeds numerous, small, flat, compressed, suborbicular or ± reniform, with thickened margin; testa reticulate-rugose or almost smooth; embryo strongly curved or circinnate, subperipheral in the abundant, fleshy endosperm; radicle terete, as wide as the semi-terete cotyledons
[FSOM]
M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS
- Morphology General Habit
- Herbs or shrubs, with indumentum of simple hairs
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves alternate or in pairs, simple, entire or sinuate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers solitary or clustered in leaf axils
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx campanulate or tubular, shortly toothed, not or only slightly enlarged in fruit
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
- Corolla campanulate or rotate, divided halfway or more
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
- Stamens inserted at top of corolla-tube, exserted; anthers dehiscing longitudinally
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
- Ovary 2–3-celled, with numerous ovules; style slender, stigma capitate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit a berry
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds compressed.
- Distribution
- Genus of some 40 species, all native in South America.
[FTEA]
Solanaceae, Jennifer M Edmonds. Oliganthes, Melongena & Monodolichopus, Maria S. Vorontsova & Sandra Knapp. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2012
- Morphology General Habit
- Annual or perennial herbs or slender shrubs, sometimes clambering
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves alternate or opposite when one often smaller, stipulate
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
- Inflorescences axillary to leaf-opposed, fasciculate with 2–8 flowers or solitary-flowered, pedicellate; flowers actinomorphic; pedicels erect though sometimes apically geniculate in flower, erect or recurved in fruit
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
- Calyx cyathiform to campanulate, often truncate, with 5(–10) lobes often prolonged through the calyx as prominent veins, slightly accrescent and persistent but not enlarged in fruit; sometimes with an annular thickening basally. Corolla campanulate-rotate to stellate with short tube and deeply lobed; lobes valvate in bud, usually spreading after anthesis
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
- Stamens 5, usually equal; filaments joined to corolla tube, sometimes by two conspicuous short, thick lateral basal appendages, glabrous; anthers connivent, basifixed, exserted. Ovary usually sessile, glabrous, bior tri-locular, ovules numerous; disc small or absent, annular; style filiform, often exserted; stigma capitate, globose, sometimes bilobed
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit dryish or sub-fleshy berries, 2- to 3- locular with large mesocarpellar cells, erect or drooping
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
- Seeds rugose, reniform to suborbicular, compressed, numerous
- Note
- The literature and nomenclature surrounding these species, their varieties and cultivars is vast, complex and controversial with some authors still disagreeing over the treatment of various taxa, and even their common names. The history of their spread from the centres of origin to the rest of the world, and their early taxonomic treatments are given in Irish (1898), while Heiser & Smith (in Econ. Bot. 7: 214–227 (1953)), Heiser & Pickersgill (in Taxon 18: 277–283 (1969) & in Baileya 19: 151–156 (1975)) and D’Arcy & Eshbaugh (in Baileya 19: 93–105 (1974)) for example, all deal with successive treatments of the cultivated peppers and their complicated synonymy. The latest resumé of the generic taxonomy is given in Bosland & Zewdie (2001). These species display considerable variability in the shape and colour of their fruits, with the characteristic pungency being due to capsaicinoids, a mixture of seven phenolic amides or vanillilamides, which are unique to peppers (cf. Hunziker, 2001), and are concentrated in the seeds and inner surfaces of the fruits. Bosland & Zwedie (2001) found that capsaicinoid profiles were not consistent within species and therefore of limited use as chemotaxonomic identifiers. In addition to their pungent culinary value, these substances are also used medicinally - usually internally as a carminative and stimulant, and for flatulence and appetite loss, though they can cause skin irritation and blistering. A summary of the wide range of medicinal uses of these plants is given by Heiser (in Nightshades: 6–27 (1969)). Birds are thought to be immune from the pungent capsaicin in the fruit pods which prevents animals from eating them, but enhances dispersal by fruit-eating birds. The generic name, adapted from the Greek kapto, meaning to bite, refers to the hot taste of the fruits. The cultivated species are also widely consumed as a vegetable with the fruits providing a rich source of vitamins A and C, and occasionally grown as ornamentals. Though peppers rarely constitute an important commercial crop anywhere in Africa (Eshbaugh, 1983), in the US the sweet pepper crop in particular is very important commercially, with many varieties being grown ( cf. Heiser, 1969). Capsicum is an economically important genus whose species are major spice and vegetable crops throughout the world. They are universally known as peppers or as cayenne, chilli, sweet, green and red peppers and are probably the most important and widely consumed condiment. The introduction of Capsicum to Africa probably occurred through a combination of postColombian explorers, missionary work, colonial invasion, and trade ( cf. Eshbaugh, 1983); by the mid-1800’s there were reports of these species in various African countries. “Morogoro Chillies” otherwise known as ‘Habaneros’ or ‘Scotch Bonnets’, are apparently popular in East African cuisine, but these plants seem to be confined to cultivation. They are cultivars of C. chinense Jacq. and though they may occur as escapes in some regions, this species has not been encountered during this revision. Though some East African specimens have been identified as C. baccatum L., this species has not been positively identified from this region (see Excluded species, at the end of this genus). Hunziker (2001) considered that the genus comprised a natural assemblage of around 20 species and a few varieties, growing from Mexico to Central Argentina. Five of the species were domesticated, of which two, C. annuum and C. frutescens, are widely cultivated throughout Africa, while a third, C. baccatum has remained largely confined to South America, occasionally occurring as an introduction in Africa.
Native to:
Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Galápagos, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles
Introduced into:
Alabama, Aldabra, Algeria, Andaman Is., Angola, Assam, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, Botswana, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canary Is., Cape Verde, Caroline Is., Cayman Is., Central African Repu, Chad, Christmas I., Comoros, Congo, Cook Is., Djibouti, Dominican Republic, East Himalaya, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Gilbert Is., Greece, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, India, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jawa, Kazakhstan, Kazan-retto, Kenya, Korea, KwaZulu-Natal, Laos, Leeward Is., Line Is., Madagascar, Madeira, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marianas, Marquesas, Marshall Is., Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Mozambique Channel I, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, New Guinea, New South Wales, New York, Nicobar Is., Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Northern Provinces, Northern Territory, Oman, Pakistan, Panamá, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Queensland, Rodrigues, Rwanda, Réunion, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Society Is., Solomon Is., Somalia, Southwest Caribbean, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sulawesi, Suriname, Swaziland, Tadzhikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad-Tobago, Tuamotu, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Turks-Caicos Is., Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Wake I., West Himalaya, Windward Is., Yemen, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe
- Capsicum annuum L.
- Capsicum baccatum L.
- Capsicum buforum Hunz.
- Capsicum caatingae Barboza & Agra
- Capsicum caballeroi M.Nee
- Capsicum campylopodium Sendtn.
- Capsicum carassense Barboza & Bianch.
- Capsicum cardenasii Heiser & P.G.Sm.
- Capsicum ceratocalyx M.Nee
- Capsicum chacoense Hunz.
- Capsicum chinense Jacq.
- Capsicum coccineum (Rusby) Hunz.
- Capsicum cornutum (Hiern) Hunz.
- Capsicum cumanense Fingerh.
- Capsicum dimorphum (Miers) Kuntze
- Capsicum dusenii Bitter
- Capsicum eshbaughii Barboza
- Capsicum eximium Hunz.
- Capsicum flexuosum Sendtn.
- Capsicum friburgense Bianch. & Barboza
- Capsicum frutescens L.
- Capsicum galapagoense Hunz.
- Capsicum geminifolium (Dammer) Hunz.
- Capsicum havanense Kunth
- Capsicum hookerianum (Miers) Kuntze
- Capsicum hunzikerianum Barboza & Bianch.
- Capsicum lanceolatum (Greenm.) C.V.Morton & Standl.
- Capsicum leptopodum (Dunal) Kuntze
- Capsicum longidentatum Agra & Barboza
- Capsicum minutiflorum (Rusby) Hunz.
- Capsicum mirabile Sendtn.
- Capsicum mositicum Toledo ex Handro
- Capsicum pereirae Barboza & Bianch.
- Capsicum pubescens Ruiz & Pav.
- Capsicum ramosissimum Witasek
- Capsicum recurvatum Witasek
- Capsicum regale Barboza & Bohs
- Capsicum rhomboideum (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Dunal) Kuntze
- Capsicum schottianum Sendtn.
- Capsicum scolnikianum Hunz.
- Capsicum tovarii Eshbaugh, P.G.Sm. & Nickrent
- Capsicum villosum Sendtn.
- English
- Pepper
Capsicum L. appears in other Kew resources:
Date | Reference | Identified As | Barcode | Type Status | Has image? |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dec 1, 2003 | Custodio Filho, A. [s.n.], Brazil | K001073049 | Yes | ||
Jul 4, 1905 | Harley, R.M. [54171], Brazil | K000788508 | No | ||
Jul 4, 1905 | Lucas, E.J. [667], Brazil | K000788510 | No | ||
Jul 4, 1905 | Harley, R. [3445], Brazil | K000788513 | No | ||
Jul 4, 1905 | Lucas, E.J. [667], Brazil | K000788509 | No | ||
Matuda, E. [2406], Mexico | K000063191 | No | |||
Hinton, G.B. [11977], Mexico | K000063193 | No | |||
s.coll. [Cat. no. s.n.] | K001132446 | Yes | |||
s.coll. [Cat. no. s.n.] | K001132448 | Yes | |||
Burchell, W.J. [2428], Brazil | K001073046 | Yes | |||
Miers, J. [s.n.], Brazil | K001073053 | Yes | |||
Eggers, H.F.A. von [5302], Cuba | K001073054 | Yes | |||
Burchell, W.J. [3627], Brazil | K001073056 | Yes | |||
Burchell, W.J. [3628], Brazil | K001073055 | Yes | |||
Sandeman, C. [2038], Brazil | K001073058 | Yes | |||
s.coll. [Cat. no. s.n.] | K001132445 | Yes | |||
s.coll. [Cat. no. s.n.] | K001132444 | Yes | |||
Taylor, N.P. [429], Mexico | K000063190 | No | |||
Dusén, P. [14437], Brazil | K001073051 | Yes | |||
Röttler, J.P. [Cat. no. s.n.] | K001132449 | Yes | |||
Glaziou, A.F.M. [11385], Brazil | K001073045 | Yes | |||
s.coll. [Cat. no. s.n.] | K001132443 | Yes | |||
Glaziou, A.F.M. [8872], Brazil | K001073044 | Yes | |||
Handro, O. [2206], Brazil | K001073052 | Yes | |||
Glaziou, A.F.M. [12108], Brazil | K001073047 | Yes | |||
s.coll. [s.n.] | K001073057 | Yes | |||
s.coll. [Cat. no. s.n.] | K001132447 | Yes | |||
s.coll. [Cat. no. s.n.] | K001132442 | Yes | |||
Glaziou, A.F.M. [4168], Brazil | K001073048 | Yes | |||
Prance, G.T. [9295], Brazil | K001073050 | Yes | |||
Müller, F. [174], Mexico | K000063192 | No |
First published in Sp. Pl.: 188 (1753)
Accepted by
- Govaerts, R. (1999). World Checklist of Seed Plants 3(1, 2a & 2b): 1-1532. MIM, Deurne.
Literature
Flora of West Tropical Africa
- Smith & Heiser in Am. J. Bot. 38: 362 (1951).
- —F.T.A. 4, 2: 250
Flora Zambesiaca
- Capsicum L., Sp. Pl.: 188 (1753)
- Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 86 (1754).
- Hunziker, Gen. Solanacearum: 232 (2001).
- Sp. Pl.: 188 (1753)
Flora of Somalia
- Flora Somalia, Vol 3, (2006) Author: by M. Thulin [updated by M. Thulin 2008]
Flora of Tropical East Africa
- 9th Rep. Missouri Bot. Gard.: 53–110 (1898);
- Bothalia 14: 845–848 (1983);
- DeWitt & Bosland, Peppers of the World (1996);
- Fingerhuth, Monogr. gen. capsici: 1–32 (1832);
- Gen. Pl. ed. 5: 86 (1754);
- Gen. Solanaceae: 232–244 (2001);
- Sp. Pl. 1: 188 (1753)
- van den Berg et al. (eds), Solanaceae V: 179–185 (2001)
-
Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
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Flora of Somalia
Flora of Somalia
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
-
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
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Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
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Kew Living Collection Database
Common Names from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Living Collection https://www.kew.org/
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Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
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Kew Science Photographs
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