Capsicum chinense
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Habanero plant ( Capsicum chinense ) |
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Capsicum chinense (rarely also sinense ) is a species of the nightshade family , it belongs to the peppers . The plant was first described in Philip Miller's book "A Gardener's Dictionary" in 1768 as Capsicum angulosum , and it was given the name Capsicum chinense by Nikolaus von Jacquin . Since the latter received his first specimen from a Chinese dealer, he mistakenly assumed that the plant came from China . However, the plant is not of Asian origin, but, like all types of pepper, comes from South America . The hottest chilli varieties, such as habanero , belong to this type.
description
plant
As with other cultivated Capsicum species, a large variability has arisen within the species Capsicum chinense through domestication and the associated long selection. Typically, a plant of the species is between 45 cm and 75 cm high, the shoot branches heavily and forms secondary shoots , which gives the plant a broad, bushy appearance. The leaves are light to dark green, ovate to lanceolate ovate and reach a length of up to 10.5 cm. The leaves often appear wrinkled, which is caused by the faster growth of the leaf surface compared to the leaf veins. Both the leaves and the shoot are predominantly hairless, with short, dense hairs only rarely found.
blossoms
The flowers in the shoot nodes usually appear in groups of three to five, on weak plants fewer, but often more flowers. They stand on inclined, rarely upright flower stalks that are relatively short and thick in the flowering phase. The hermaphrodite, almost radially symmetrical flowers are usually five-fold. The greenish-yellow or rarely pure white petals are 0.5 to 1 cm long, they have no spots on the edge. The flower lobes are not spreading, usually have clearly visible curved folds, or are sometimes elongated without folds. The stamens are blue-violet in almost all cases, but there are also varieties with yellow stamens. The calyx is barely toothed and has a ring-shaped thickening on the flower stalk.
fruit
The great variability of the species can also be seen in the variety of fruits. While wild forms usually have small, round and smooth fruits like other wild capsicums , the fruits of most cultivated forms are wrinkled, only rarely do they have the classic elongated, pointed chilli shape. The length of the fruits varies between 1 and 12 cm. The best-known shape of the fruit is the habaner shape , the tip of which is flattened or sunk and is slightly longer than it is wide. Other fruit shapes are the flatter Scotch Bonnet-shaped fruits, lantern-shaped pointed or elongated fruits. Unripe fruits can be light to dark green, the color of the ripe fruits ranges from pale yellow, orange, salmon to bright red to a dark chocolate brown. The seeds usually have a wavy edge, only rarely is it smooth.
Chromosome number
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 24.
distribution
Of the cultivated Capsicum species, Capsicum chinense is the only one that grows dominantly in humid tropical climates.
The species is probably native to Peru , but only grows in a small part of the country for climatic reasons. The two species Capsicum baccatum and Capsicum pubescens therefore play a much larger role in Peruvian cuisine . The best-known Peruvian chinense variety is the red chinchin-ucho .
Most of the different Capsicum chinense varieties are found in the Caribbean today , where Capsicum chinense is the most commonly grown chilli variety. Examples are the red Scotch Bonnet from Jamaica , the orange Habanero from Cuba (now mainly grown in Yucatán ) and Madame Jeanette from Haiti . There are also some traditional varieties such as the Datil from Florida and the Adjuma from Suriname in the areas of North, Central and South America bordering the Caribbean .
The Chile Pepper Institute of New Mexico State University in Las Cruces in the US state of New Mexico is engaged in breeding; An annual chilli festival is held in Hatch, New Mexico, 40 miles away . Varieties such as Bhut Jolokia and Trinidad Moruga Scorpion are also grown in Hatch .
Sharp Capsicum chinense chilis can also be found in tropical Africa , where they were introduced by returned slaves, for example the yellow Fatalii . In contrast, there are very few Capsicum chinense varieties in Asia . One of them is Naga Morich from Bangladesh , whose Dorset Naga breed recently attracted more than 870,000 Scoville units.
Botanical history
Probably the first complete description of the species comes from Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin , who mentions it in 1776 in his work "Hortus botanicus Vindobonensis". His illustration of the plant, however, shows only two flowers in the sprout node, but all other features agree with the plants that are now counted as the species. For a long time the independence of the species was not recognized, the systematics of the cultivated species of the genus Capsicum (paprika) was often discussed and changed. The system established by HC Irish in 1898 only recognizes the species Capsicum annuum and Capsicum frutescens described by Carl von Linné and assigns all cultivated peppers to these species; In 1923, LH Bailey reduced all cultivated peppers to just one type of Capsicum frutescens . While there was soon agreement on the species status (albeit not on the nomenclature) of Capsicum annuum , Capsicum baccatum , Capsicum frutescens and Capsicum pubescens , it was not until 1957 that Smith and Heiser confirmed the independence of Capsicum chinense (as Capsicum sinense ).
taste
To Capsicum chinense include the one hand, extremely sharp varieties with over 2,000,000 Scoville units (various Habanero breeding parent, Scotch Bonnet , etc.), but on the other hand Milds (z. B. Ají Dulce ). What they have in common is a delicate, uniquely fruity aroma that all other types lack. While the spiciness is not changed by cooking, the typical aroma is only retained with raw fruits or with gentle preparation.
See also
literature
- Dave DeWitt, Nancy Gerlach: The Habanero Cookbook . Ten Speed Press, Berkley California, USA, 1995, ISBN 0-89815-638-6 .
- Harald Zoschke: The Chili Pepper book - cultivation, recipes, interesting facts . Suncoast Peppers GmbH, Kressborn, 1997, ISBN 3-924685-05-3 .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c Paul G. Smith and Charles B. Heiser, Jr .: Taxonomy of Capsicum sinense JACQ. and the geographic distribution of the cultivated Capsicum species. In: Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. Volume 84, Number 6, December 1957. pp. 413-420. doi : 10.2307 / 2482971
- ↑ Capsicum chinense at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
- ^ Charles B. Heiser Jr. and Barbara Pickersgill: Names for the Cultivated Capsicum Species (Solanaceae). In: Taxon , Volume 18, Number 3, June 1969. Pages 277-283. doi : 10.2307 / 1218828
