Capsicum frutescens

Green "Bird 's Eye Chili" from Thailand (Capsicum frutescens )

Capsicum frutescens is a species of the genus capsicum (Capsicum ) of the family Solanaceae.

Description

The plants of the species Capsicum frutescens are small shrubs up to 2 m high. You first grow herbaceous, aged but can also become woody strong. Typical of Capsicum frutescens are always upright on the plant flowers and fruits. The flowers are clusters in the branching of the stem axis. The calyx is cup- to - almost tubular, slightly serrated and has no annular thickening at the flower stalk, as occurs for example in Capsicum chinense. The crown is white or greenish, the Corolla lobe are splayed or bent. The anthers are blue to purple, rarely yellow. The stylus is 1.5 mm or more above the anthers out. The fruits mature mostly slower than other cultivated species of the genus, ripe fruits fall off easily and are usually colored red.

Use

Capsicum frutescens is used due to the sharpness of the fruit mainly as a spice, the fruit contains almost twice as much of the alkaloid responsible for the pungency of capsaicin as the most representative of the species Capsicum annuum. We are especially famous varieties " Tabasco ", from the Tabasco sauce, and the South American variety " Malagueta " from which the Piri - Pirisauce is made.

Botanical history

The species was first described in 1753 by Capsicum frutescens Linnaeus in his work Species Plantarum. He was referring directly to the description of Adriaan van Royen Florae Leydensis Prodromus ( 1740). Today, this is interpreted to mean that Linnaeus 1753 no specimen of this species possessed and the specimen, which is located in his herbarium, is more recent. In addition, the plant does not correspond to the species description from the first edition of the Species Plantarum and the nature of Capsicum annuum must be attributed. Thus, the voucher specimen from van Royen's herbarium is considered Lektotypus. Furthermore Linnaeus notes, however on its own, earlier descriptions, which in turn are attributed as the species Capsicum annuum today. In later editions of the Species Plantarum further descriptions of other authors of the type to be assigned, but often also on Capsicum annuum or Capsicum baccatum point.

Even after Linnaeus the species description of Capsicum frutescens was often modified and described by many names today regarded as synonymous, so that often can not be said with certainty on what type publications referred to.