Capsicum pubescens
| Capsicum pubescens | ||||||||||||
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Rocoto with ripe fruits |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Capsicum pubescens | ||||||||||||
| Ruiz & Pav. |
Capsicum pubescens is a type of plant of the genus Capsicum ( paprika ), which is mainly known in Central and South America . The part of the name pubescens means hairy and indicates the hairy leaves of this species. The plants, but especially the fruits of this species, are often referred to as Rocoto and Locoto (especially in Bolivia , Peru ) or Chile Manzano and Chile Peron (especially in Mexico ). Since they reach a relatively old age and the trunk quickly becomes lignified, they are sometimes referred to as tree chilli . Of all the domesticated pepper species, it is the least common and systematically furthest away from all others.
description
Vegetative characteristics
Like all other species of the genus Capsicum , the plants of Capsicum pubescens grow as a subshrub , occasionally also climbing plants. The plants, which are up to four meters high, lignify relatively quickly and can live up to 15 years, especially when they are old they look almost tree-like. After a shoot is formed, it branches out for the first time at a height of about 30 cm and forms a bushy appearance through further division as it grows. Later other shoots sprout from the leaf axils. Some varieties have purple discoloration on the branches, as can also be observed in other Capsicum species. The leaves have a 5 to 12 mm long petiole and an egg-shaped leaf blade that is 5 to 12 cm long, 2.5 to 4 cm wide, tapering at the tip and wedge-shaped at the base.
In addition to its relatively old age compared to other bell peppers, Capsicum pubescens also differs greatly from related species in many other characteristics. Most noticeable is the eponymous hair, which can be found on the leaves, stems and sometimes on the sepals of the flowers.
blossoms
The flowers appear singly or in pairs (rarely up to four) in the branches of the shoots and stand on about 1 cm long flower stalks that extend to about 4 to 5 cm on the fruit. The calyx is set with five triangular pointed teeth, which have a length of about 1 mm on the fruit. A clear distinguishing feature from other cultivated species of the genus Capsicum are the blue-violet colored petals , which are partly lighter towards the center. Although other species - for example Capsicum annuum - occasionally have varieties with purple flowers, often only the edges of the petals are colored. Some of the petals are shaped like a hood, the fused sections of the petals are clearly folded. The anthers are colored purple.
Fruits and seeds
After fertilization, ripe fruits develop from the flowers in about 90 days. The fruits are 5 to 8 cm wide and 7 to 9 cm long, the shape varies a lot. There are varieties whose fruits are three times as long as they are wide, but also fruits that are 1.5 times as wide as they are long. Especially the Peruvian varieties with elongated fruits have a clearly pronounced shoulder, which cannot be observed in varieties whose origin lies further north. The tip of all fruits is blunt, in the shorter fruits it is often depressed. The color of the ripe fruits ranges from strong yellow to orange to dark red and even brownish. In many varieties a discoloration of the fruits to black can be observed before they reach their final color. The fruits have a very distinctive aroma, which is often described as "tropical" and are very hot . In the usually two to four seed chambers there is a large number of brown-black seeds . The majority of the seeds are connected to the placenta opposite the base of the stalk at the upper end of the fruit ; few seeds can be found on the side walls. The dark color of the seeds is another distinguishing feature from other cultivated bell pepper species, which only have whitish to light yellow seeds.
Chromosome number
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 24.
ingredients
See also: Ingredients of peppers
Capsicum pubescens differs from other hot peppers primarily in the composition of the capsaicinoids that cause spiciness . While in other species capsaicin dominates with up to 80% of the capsaicinoids, in Capsicum pubescens an almost equally high concentration of dihydrocapsaicin can be found. While the concentration of both capsaicinoids in the placenta is almost the same, the ratio is shifted in an analysis of the whole fruit to dihydrocapsaicin. The concentration of nordihydrocapsaicin - another important capsaicinoid - is also above average.
Due to this different composition of the capsaicinoids, the sharpness of the Capsicum pubescens is perceived differently than the sharpness of other hot peppers. Since even experienced chili eaters usually have little tolerance for dihydrocapsaicin and nordihydrocapsaicin, the spiciness is often perceived relatively intensely. However, it can also happen that this sensitivity is significantly lower and the Rocoto is only perceived as moderately sharp. Depending on the sources, the sharpness is between 30,000 and 100,000 Scoville units .
Origin and growing conditions
General
The species is only known from culture. Evidence of domesticated plants of the species goes back several thousand years. It was cultivated in the Inca Empire , among other places , where it was the most common Capsicum species. The connection to the Inca Empire is still preserved today: the name Rocoto is derived from the Quechua ruqutu (roqoto) .
Capsicum pubescens is only grown on a larger scale in the high altitudes of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, northern Chile, Central America and the southern mountainous regions of Mexico. In South America, the species is one of the most important peppers, alongside the Capsicum baccatum, which is also native there .
Cultivation in Europe
Capsicum pubescens is not grown commercially in Europe . The reasons for this are the longer ripening time, the general sensitivity of the plants and the lack of usability in European cuisine. However, interest in the plant among hobby growers is increasing; Seeds are exchanged privately or are available through specialist suppliers. Capsicum pubescens is better adapted to the relatively cool nights of the Central European climate than other Capsicum species. Plants should not be exposed to the blazing sun; a partially shaded place is ideal. With regular, but not too strong, water and fertilizer applications, a harvest can be expected in the first year. If the environmental conditions are too bad, the plant sheds flowers and young fruits. If the plants are overwintered in the cool and bright interior and cut back in spring, the harvest in the second and subsequent years is usually more extensive.
Systematics
Within the genus Capsicum , the species belongs to the group with a chromosome number of 2n = 24. Investigations of the karyotype place the species close to Capsicum eximium , Capsicum cardenasii and Capsicum tovarii . These species are similar in that they have partially to completely purple-violet flowers and brownish to black kidney-shaped or irregularly shaped seeds. With the exception of the large and color-variable fruits of Capsicum pubescens , all species have small, red-colored, spherical fruits. The close relationship between the species could also be demonstrated by successfully crossing the species Capsicum pubescens , Capsicum eximium and Capsicum cardenasii . The resulting hybrids each produced fertile offspring. However, none of the three species could be successfully crossed with Capsicum tovarii . Phylogenetic investigations of the DNA showed a close relationship between Capsicum pubescens and Capsicum tovarii , whereas Capsicum eximium and Capsicum cardenasii were further identified by Capsicum pubescens .
When investigating the average fruit size in various traditional growing areas, Eshbaugh found that the fruit of plants outside of Bolivia grew on average larger. From this he concluded that the Bolivian Capsicum pubescens are both biologically and geographically closer to the original Capsicum pubescens than plants of the species domesticated elsewhere. However, the exact origin cannot be determined with certainty. Although no wild form has been found so far and only cultivated or semi-wild plants exist, it is assumed that Capsicum pubescens forms its own species. As a result of the long domestication and thus human selection, the fruits of the plants became larger over time, and the wild form itself is considered extinct.
The species is an example of the so-called founder effect : Due to the low geographical distribution and the scarcely existing overlap with the distribution areas of other Capsicum species, the population can be traced back to an incompletely represented gene pool . For this reason, the variability within the species remained very low, so that significantly fewer varieties emerged than with other domesticated peppers.
use
General
Capsicum pubescens fruits can be used in the kitchen like other chillies. It gives many dishes, for example salsa , a particularly fruity and exotic note. In South and Central American cuisine , a combination of chilies of the species C. baccatum and C. pubescens is often used, the former being a spice and the latter being a vegetable . The heat of the “vegetable chillies” can be regulated by heating the fruit several times in salt and sugar water to just before the boiling point after removing the placenta and seeds and then pouring off the water.
Most of the fruits are sold fresh, but you can also find glass and canned preserves with Rocoto or Chile Manzano, mostly as halved fruits.
In Arica , in the north of Chile, a solar drying system was built in which the water is extracted from the fruits using solar energy, since normal air drying does not work due to the thick pulp. The system is 18 meters long, 10 meters of which is used as a drying area, and can process 60 kg of fresh fruit during a drying cycle of three days. After drying, these fruits have a total weight of only 6.4 kg. The dried fruits are sold pure or in oil.
Since May 2003, there has been a ban on the import of Capsicum pubesencs grown in Mexico into the USA because fly larvae of the Tephritidae family - a pest that particularly threatens citrus fruits - had been discovered in imported fruits . An import restriction exists for the same reason for all other species of the genus Capsicum . As a control, 4% of all the citrus-growing states of Arizona , California , Florida , Louisiana and Texas and 2% of all paprika fruits imported into the other US states are examined for larvae infestation.
Rocoto relleno
The most famous recipe for Rocotos comes from Arequipa, the south of Peru. The name Rocoto relleno means "filled Rocoto". It is similar to the stuffed peppers known from Hungary or the Chiles rellenos found in Mexico . In addition to the spiciness, the filling of the fruits in the respective dishes is very different. For Rocoto relleno, Rocoto halves soaked in milk overnight are filled with a mixture of minced meat, hard-boiled and diced eggs and baked with cheese.
Hot sauce
A specialty among the chilli sauces is the 2Hot Rocoto Sauce from a company from Miami , Florida, not only through the use of the Rocoto fruits. The company advertises that their sauce does not use vinegar as a preservative and that it consists of 99% pulp. The only additives are salt , vitamin C and xanthan gum . Due to the high content of fruit pulp, a relatively high degree of heat is achieved without the use of chilli concentrate. Officially, the sauce is only sold in the USA, and it can occasionally be found in German-speaking internet shops.
Important varieties
See also the list of peppers and chilli varieties
As with many chilli and paprika varieties, a clear assignment through hybridization , new breeding and imaginary naming by seed suppliers and hobby gardeners is not possible. For example, the name Rocoto Manzano is mostly used for plants with red, round fruits, but yellow, round fruits can also be found under this name. In addition, this name, which is quite common among hobby gardeners, is a mixture of the Bolivian name Rocoto and the Mexican name Chile Manzano (apple chili). The latter, however, are mostly yellow, mostly round, but occasionally also oblong.
The following overview of varieties lists the most common names:
- Chile de Seda : yellow, elongated fruits
- Rocoto Canario (Canary Rocoto): yellow, round fruits
- Rocoto Manzano (apple rocoto): red or orange, round fruits
- Rocoto Peron (pear rocoto): red, elongated fruits
- Rocoto Rojo (red Rocoto): red, round fruits
Other variety names that can usually be assigned to one of the groups mentioned above include: Rocoto Aji, Rocoto Amarillo, Rocoto Caballo (horse chili). Especially in hobby gardening circles, it is common to give their own names that indicate the origin (the country or partly also the city) of the seeds, for example Rocoto Peru, Rocoto Bolivia, Rocoto Mexico or Alberto's Locoto, after the donor.
Botanical history
The species Capsicum pubescens was first described by Hipólito Ruiz Lopez and José Antonio Pavón in 1794 , but for a long time hardly noticed. In the "Missouri Botanical Garden Bulletin" from 1950, Charles M. Rick assesses the species as of "dubious value for the United States, neither for cultivation [...] nor for breeding purposes". It wasn't until W. Hardy Eshbaugh examined the species more closely in 1979 that scientific interest increased. Through his work, among other things, relationships with several Andean game species could be established.
Mention in stories
The Chavin were a South American people who were conquered and destroyed by the Incas before the Spanish arrived in America. The ten "Legends of Ancash " by Chavin were published in 1961 after years of research by Marcos Yauri Monteros . The legend "Rocoto de Peron" tells of a shepherd who falls into a deep sleep after eating a Rocoto and wakes up in an underground world whose inhabitants are immortal because they do not eat salt. The shepherd lives in the underworld for a while, but eventually falls asleep again and wakes up where he once fell asleep. After he returned to his village, where he had already been thought dead, a resident of the underground world appeared to him in a dream and announced to him that he would remain immortal as long as he did not eat salt. The shepherd ignored the warning and died shortly afterwards.
Sources and evidence
literature
- Charles M. Rick: Capsicum pubescens, a little-known pungent pepper from Latin America . In: Missouri Botanical Garden Bulletin , Volume 36, 1950. pp. 36-42.
- Michael Nee: Capsicum pubescens. In: Flora de Veracruz , Fasciculo 49, 1986, ISBN 84-89600-04-X , pp. 28-30.
- WH Eshbaugh: Biosystematic and evolutionary study of the Capsicum pubescens complex. In: Research reports. 1970 Projects. National Geographic Society, Washington DC 1979, ISSN 0077-4626 , pp. 143-162.
- Hugh Popenoe et al .: Lost Crops of the Incas, Little-Known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation. National Academy Press, Washington DC 1989, ISBN 0-309-04264-X (online).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Capsicum pubescens at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
- ↑ M. Collins and P. Bosland: Rare and Novel Capsaicinoid Profiles in Capsicum . In: Capsicum and Eggplant Newsletter , Volume 13, 1994. Pages 48-51.
- ^ Eduardo A. Moscone et al .: The Evolution of Chili Peppers (Capsicum - Solanaceae): A cytogenic Perspective . In: DM Spooner et al. (Ed.): Solanaceae VI: Genomics Meets Biodiversity , ISHS Acta Horticulturae 745, June 2007. ISBN 978-90-6605-427-1 . Pages 137-169.
- ↑ Chillies in Chile - In the home of Rocoto at pepperworld.com
- ↑ Legends of Ancash ( Memento June 23, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) , accessed March 15, 2006.
Web links
- Thomas Meyer: Chili data sheet with identification key and photos at Flora-de: Flora von Deutschland (old name of the website: Flowers in Swabia )
- Description of the Capsicum pubescens
- The Rocoto report Description of plants from the "perspective of the plant"
- English-language site about Rocotos , including a description of the successful crossing with C. cardenasii
