Changes
no edit summary
{{Inc|
Capsicum (name of uncertain origin, perhaps from kapto, to bite, on account of the pungency of the seed or pericarp; or from capsa, a chest, having reference to the form of fruit). Solanaceae. Red Pepper. Cayenne Pepper. Herbs or shrubs, originally from tropical America, but escaped from cultivation in Old World tropics, where it was once supposed to be indigenous.
Stem branchy, 1-6 ft. high, glabrous or nearly so: lvs. ovate or subelliptical, entire, acuminate: fls. white or greenish white, rarely violaceous, solitary or sometimes in 2's or 3's; corolla rotate, usually 5-lobed; stamens 5, rarely 6 or 7, with bluish anthers dehiscing longitudinally; ovary originally 2-3-loculed: fr. a juiceless berry or pod, extremely variable in form and size, many-seeded, and with more or less pungency about the seeds and pericarp. Fig. 786. The fr. becomes many loculed and monstrous in cult.—About 90 species have been named, most of which are now considered forms of one or two species. Monogr. by Irish, 9th Ann. Rept. Mo. Bot.Gard. For cult., see Pepper.
}}
{{Taxobox
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| color = lightgreen