Capsicum frutescens L.

Erect or spreading, ± bushy, short-lived perennial, up to 2 m tall. Branches often quite woody, terete or slightly angular, ± striate or somewhat channelled, glossy, pubescent when young to ± glabrous. Leaves usually solitary, rarely 2 appearing together; petiole 0.3-3 cm long; lamina membranous or papyraceous, 1.5-15 x 0.7-6 cm, lanceolate to broadly ovate or elliptic, base rounded to attenuate, and often unequal-sided, apex obtusely acuminate to obtuse, ± entire, ciliate, with scattered hairs, sometimes only along the nerves above, paler, duller, with a few hairs in the axils of the nerves beneath. Flowers 2-3(4)-whorled, rarely solitary; pedicels 10-20 mm long, ± terete, striate, slender, thickened upwards, glabrous, ± erect or curved distally, in fruit elongated to 30 mm and slender. Calyx ± rugose, 1.5-2.5 mm long, cupular or sub-tubular, 5-or 10-ribbed, truncate or with short, obtuse teeth or deltate umbos, glabrous or slightly pubescent; in fruit enlarged and surrounding the base of it. Corolla white or yellowish to greenish, rarely purplish, often with yellow markings in the throat, rotate-campanulate; limb 6-10 mm across; lobes 1.5-4 mm long, ovate-triangular, acute, ± ciliolate, spreading or reflexed. Filaments 1-2 mm long; anthers blue to purple, rarely yellow, 1.5-2.2 mm long, oblong or oblong-ovate in outline. Ovary 1-1.8 mm long, ± ovoid or ellipsoid, rounded or tapering, glabrous, 2-locular; style 3.4-5 mm long, straight, not or slightly thickened distally into a small stigma. Fruit erect from the nodes, green, becoming orange or red when mature, glossy, 0.9-2 x 0.4-0.6 cm, ovoid-oblong or irregularly fusiform, obtusely pointed, smooth, glabrous, very pungent or acrid, edible. Seeds brownish, 3.2-3.7 x 2.5-3 mm, obovate to sub-circular in outline.

A tropical plant. A native of tropical America. The plants grow from sea level up to about 1800 m altitude in the equatorial tropics. They can't stand water-logging or frost. They are tolerant to high temperatures and a wide range of rainfall. Very high rainfall leads to poor fruit set and rotting of fruit. Soil needs to be well drained and preferably fertile with adequate organic material. Light loamy soils rich in lime are best. It does not do well on atolls. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.

The leaves are eaten cooked. The fruit can be used in very small quantities to spice food. The small red fruit are very hot to eat due to a chemical called capsaicin. They are therefore used to add spice and flavour to other foods. They are used to make many foods and sauces hot and spicy. They can also be dried and stored.

The seeds are dried in the sun. They are small. For large scale plantings, 1.8-2.3 kg per ha of seed are needed. Seed is best sown in nurseries and the seedlings transplanted when they have 4-5 leaves. (After 3-4 weeks). They can be transplanted at about 0.8 m spacing. Pruning out the tops can increase branching. This is often done 10 days before transplanting. Excessive nitrogen can reduce fruit setting.