Synonyms:

• (=) Capsicum assamicum Purkayastha & L. Singh
• (=) Capsicum minimum Blanco

Common names:

• bird pepper  (Source: F PuertoR) - English
• capsicum  (Source: CRC MedHerbs ed2) - English
• hot pepper  (Source: Dict Gard) - English
• red chili  (Source: Food Feed Crops US) - English
• spur pepper  (Source: Dict Gard) - English
• Tabasco pepper  (Source: Dict Gard) - English
• poivre rouge  (Source: Dict Rehm) - French
• Chillies  (Source: Dict Rehm) - German
• kidachi-tō-garashi  (Source: F Okin) - Japanese Rōmaji
• pimenta-malagueta  (Source: Dict Rehm) - Portuguese
• ají  (Source: Dict Rehm) - Spanish
• chile  (Source: Dict Rehm) - Spanish
• guindilla  (Source: Dict Rehm) - Spanish
• tabascopeppar  (Source: Kulturvaxtdatabas) - Swedish
• fan jiang  (Source: F ChinaEng) - Transcribed Chinese

Economic Importance:

• Food additives: flavoring (spice fide Ency CNatIn)
• Gene sources: potential for cytoplasmic male sterility in chili pepper (fide Crop Breed Appl Biot 11:247. 2011)
• Gene sources: primary genetic relative of Tabasco pepper (fide Amer. J. Bot. 38:362-368. 1951)
• Gene sources: secondary genetic relative of aji (based on records of hybridization of Capsicum frutescens with C. baccatum var. pendulum fide Int J Pl Sci 162:1411. 2001)
• Gene sources: secondary genetic relative of bell/chili pepper (fide Acta Hort 745:148. 2007)
• Gene sources: secondary genetic relative of habanero pepper (based on successful hybridization of Capsicum chinense × C. frutescens, but not in reciprocal crossing fide Crop Breed Appl Biot 11:246. 2011)
• Gene sources: tertiary genetic relative of rocoto (based on records of crossing studies fide Int J Pl Sci 162:1411. 2001)
• Medicines: folklore (fide CRC MedHerbs ed2)
• Vertebrate poisons: mammals (fide Lampe & McCann)

Distributional Range:

Native

Northern America

• SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Chiapas, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Veracruz]

Southern America

• CENTRAL AMERICA: Central America
• NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
• BRAZIL: Brazil
• WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru


Cultivated




Africa

• Africa

Asia-Tropical

• INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India

Pacific

• SOUTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC: French Polynesia

References:

1. Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource on www.skud.info). 2012 (Kulturvaxtdatabas)
2. Duke, J. A. et al. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs. 2002 (CRC MedHerbs ed2)
3. Huxley, A., ed. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening. 1992 (Dict Gard)
4. Kraft, K. H. et al. 2013. A new collection of wild populations of Capsicum in Mexico and the southern United States Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 60:225-232.
5. Lampe, K. F. & M. A. McCann AMA handbook of poisonous and injurious plants. 1985 (Lampe & McCann)
6. Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2. 1996 (Ency CNatIn)
7. Liogier, H. A. Descriptive flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands. 1984- (F PuertoR)
8. Loaiza-Figueroa, F. et al. 1989. Patterns of genetic variation of the genus Capsicum (Solanaceae) in Mexico Pl. Syst. Evol. 165:159-188.
9. Markle, G. M. et al., eds. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2. 1998 (Food Feed Crops US)
10. Monteiro da Silva, C. E. et al. 2011. Reproductive characterization of interspecific hybrids among Capsicum species Crop Breed. Appl. Biotechnol. 11:241-249.
11. Moscone, E. A. et al. 2007. The evolution of chili peppers (Capsicum - Solanaceae): a cytogenetic perspective Acta Hort. 745:137-170.
12. Rehm, S. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants. 1994 (Dict Rehm)
13. Smith, P. G. & C. B. Heiser, Jr. 1951. Taxonomic and genetic studies on the cultivated peppers, Capsicum annuum L. and C. frutescens L. Amer. J. Bot. 38:362-368.
14. Walker, E. Flora of Okinawa and the southern Ryukyu Islands. (F Okin)
15. Walsh, B. M. & S. B. Hoot 2001. Phylogenetic relationships of Capsicum (Solanaceae) using DNA sequences from two noncoding regions: The chloroplast atpB-rbcL spacer region and nuclear waxy introns Int. J. Pl. Sci. 162:1409-1418.
16. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. Flora of China (English edition). 1994- (F ChinaEng)

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN-Taxonomy).
National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL: http://germoplasma.iniaf.gob.bo/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=8913. Accessed 7 junio 2026.