Bell peppers, jalapeños, cayenne, and poblanos all belong to this one species, which was domesticated in Mexico around 6,000 years ago. Its wild form, the pea-sized chiltepin, still grows wild in parts of Texas and Arizona.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A branching, bushy plant with thin stems. Despite the name annuum ("annual"), it is a perennial where winters stay frost-free, and some varieties reach about 6.5 ft (2 m) tall, leaning on other plants for support.
- Leaves
- Glossy, oval leaves up to about 3 in (7.5 cm) long. A few ornamental cultivars, such as 'Black Pearl' from the U.S. National Arboretum, have dark purple to black foliage.
- Flowers
- Small, star- or bell-shaped flowers, usually white but sometimes purple or greenish. They mostly pollinate themselves, though bees, wasps, and ants carry pollen between plants in large plantings.
- Fruit
- Fruits range from pea-sized wild berries to blocky bell peppers weighing up to about 1 lb (500 g). They ripen from green to red, yellow, orange, or nearly black, depending on the type.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Gardens
- Farm fields
- Brushy thickets (wild chiltepin)
- Range
- Native from the southwestern United States south through Mexico and Central America to northern South America. In the U.S., wild chiltepin grows in Texas and southern Arizona; garden peppers are grown nationwide.
- Preferred conditions
- Frost-tender. In frost-free areas it can live for years; elsewhere it is grown as a summer annual.
Life cycle
- Seed dispersal
- Mammals avoid the hot fruits, but birds can't feel . They eat wild chiltepins and scatter the seeds in their droppings, which is why it's also called bird pepper.
Cautions
- Cautions
- Hot types contain capsaicin, which causes the burning feeling. The plant evolved it as a defense. Bell peppers have essentially none and rate 0 on the .
Name and classification
- About the name
- The genus has more than 30 species, but this one is by far the most widely grown. The name "pepper" comes from early European comparisons with black pepper, a completely unrelated plant.
- Varieties and forms
- Common garden types include bell, jalapeño, cayenne, poblano, and shishito peppers. Most cultivated peppers are grouped as var. annuum.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
- Status
- In 1999 the U.S. Forest Service and the nonprofit Native Seeds/SEARCH set aside the 2,500-acre Wild Chile Botanical Area in Arizona's Coronado National Forest to protect a large wild chiltepin population.
- Threats
- In gardens and farms, common pests include whiteflies and aphids (both can spread viruses), thrips, and the pepper weevil, whose larvae can cut a harvest by up to 90%.
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- Archaeological finds in Mexico's Oaxaca Valley suggest people were eating wild peppers more than 8,000 years ago.
- The 1997 Texas Legislature named the chiltepin the official native pepper of Texas.
- Beyond fresh peppers, the species gives us chili powder, cayenne, and paprika. Its capsaicin is also used in pepper spray.
More species to explore
Record what you meet and build your own collection
Your photos are kept with their date and place, and you can fill regional albums one species at a time.