Pepper

Pepper Overview

Capsicum annuum is a perennial plant from the Solanaceae family. It originates from southern North America and is grown around the world, many cultivars have been bred from this species and it is highly variable. Commonly known by the names Bell Pepper, Pepper and Sweet Pepper, amongst others. These names refer to the fruits produced after flowering. They are scientifically fruits but known more commonly as vegetables and have many uses in cooking. Capsicum has the highest diversity of shapes and is the most common and extensively grown of the Capsicum species. It includes a variety of shapes and sizes of peppers, they may be mild in taste, ranging to very spicy. For example Bell Peppers, Jalapeños and Cayenne Peppers. Although annuum means annual it is actually a perennial in areas where the temperature remains between 15-30 degrees Celsius all year. This tender plant won't cope with freezing temperatures and so is often grown as an annual plant in frost-prone climates. Flowers are white to purple in colour, appearing on branched stems. Peppers typically grow to around 60cm in height. The flowers lead onto colourful, edible fruits, they can be red, orange, yellow, green or purple. Wild ancestors of this species are believed to have evolved in Southern Brazil and Bolivia but were cultivated by man around 6,100 years ago. In the UK this species has been classified as follows: the hot varieties are called chillies and the sweet varieties are called red or green peppers. But modern breeding has confused this with the introduction of hot Bell Peppers and sweet Jalapenos.