Monograph of wild and cultivated chili peppers (Capsicum L., Solanaceae)

Abstract

Capsicum L. (tribe Capsiceae, Solanaceae) is an American genus distributed ranging from the southern United States of America to central Argentina and Brazil. The genus includes chili peppers, bell peppers, ajíes, habaneros, jalapeños, ulupicas and pimientos, well known for their economic importance around the globe. Within the Solanaceae, the genus can be recognised by its shrubby habit, actinomorphic flowers, distinctive truncate calyx with or without appendages, anthers opening by longitudinal slits, nectaries at the base of the ovary and the variously coloured and usually pungent fruits. The highest diversity of this genus is located along the northern and central Andes. Although Capsicum has been extensively studied and great advances have been made in the understanding of its taxonomy and the relationships amongst species, there is no monographic treatment of the genus as a whole. Based on morphological and molecular evidence studied from field and herbarium specimens, we present here a comprehensive taxonomic treatment for the genus, including updated information about morphology, anatomy, karyology, phylogeny and distribution. We recognise 43 species and five varieties, including C. mirum Barboza, sp. nov. from São Paulo State, Brazil and a new combination C. muticum (Sendtn.) Barboza, comb. nov.; five of these taxa are cultivated worldwide (C. annuum L. var. annuum, C. baccatum L. var. pendulum (Willd.) Eshbaugh, C. baccatum L. var. umbilicatum (Vell.) Hunz. & Barboza, C. chinense Jacq. and C. frutescens L.). Nomenclatural revision of the 265 names attributed to chili peppers resulted in 89 new lectotypifications and five new neotypifications. Identification keys and detailed descriptions, maps and illustrations for all taxa are provided.

Geographical Patterns of Genetic Variation in Locoto Chile (Capsicum pubescens) in the Americas Inferred by Genome-Wide Data Analysis

“…Chile peppers ( Capsicum , Solanaceae) are famous spices and vegetables consumed worldwide. The genus Capsicum comprises 43 species native to tropical and temperate regions of the Americas, with the centre of diversity in the Andes [ 1 ]. Among them, there are five domesticated species: C. annuum , C. chinense , C. frutescens , C. baccatum, and C. pubescens .…”

“…The hot chile C. pubescens ( Figure 1 ) is better known in Andean regions of South America as ‘locoto’ or ‘rocoto’ (from the indigenous terms luqutu and rukutu , respectively), holding a greater cultural and economic importance in the Central Andes, especially in Bolivia and Peru [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]. It is mainly grown in mid-elevation to highlands from north-western Argentina to central Mexico ( Figure 1 a) [ 1 , 7 , 8 , 9 ], where it is grown extensively in courtyards and small family plots ( Figure 1 b), with surplus sold in local markets. The species is clearly distinctive from the other chiles with the presence of conspicuous pubescence, large brownish-black seeds, and primarily purple flowers ( Figure 1 c and Figure S1 ) [ 1 ].…”

“…It is mainly grown in mid-elevation to highlands from north-western Argentina to central Mexico ( Figure 1 a) [ 1 , 7 , 8 , 9 ], where it is grown extensively in courtyards and small family plots ( Figure 1 b), with surplus sold in local markets. The species is clearly distinctive from the other chiles with the presence of conspicuous pubescence, large brownish-black seeds, and primarily purple flowers ( Figure 1 c and Figure S1 ) [ 1 ]. The fruits are hot fleshy berries with a broad range of variations in size, shape, and colour ( Figure 1 d and Figure S1 ) [ 6 , 7 ].…”

“…Ruiz and Pavon originally described C. pubescens in 1799 from plants cultivated in Peru [ 1 ]. Yacovleff and Herrera [ 11 ], citing evidence from the writings of colonial historians, included the species among the plants cultivated and consumed by early Peruvian peoples, from around 4,000 years before the present [ 12 ].…”

Non-random distribution of maax pepper plants (Capsicum annum var. glabriusculum) in Mayan homegardens: Effects on plant size, fruit yield and viral diseases

“…glabriusculum is a shrub that grows up to 2m tall and is distributed from the southwestern United States to Colombia, occurring in a wide variety of habitats ranging from tropical forest to shrublands and deserts (Hayano-Kanashiro et al 2016). Flowers are actinomorph, perfect and self-compatible (Barboza et al 2022). Fruits are small (6-8 mm long), green turning red when rippe, seeds are small and white to yellow (Tewksbury et al 1999).…”