Capsicum frutescens

Description

A semi-wild species with small, upward-pointing fruits, rarely exceeding 100 000 SHU. The Tabasco pepper (30 000–50 000 SHU), used since 1868 in the eponymous sauce by McIlhenny Co., is the most famous cultivar. Piri piri / pili-pili (40 000–175 000 SHU) is widely used in African, Portuguese, and Mozambican cuisines. The species naturalized throughout tropical Africa and Asia.

C. frutescens and C. chinense are closely related sister taxa; intermediate forms and natural hybrids exist. The species was traditionally classified together with C. annuum before molecular studies confirmed its distinct status.

Phylogénie

Habitat & Distribution

Conservation