Names
Chilli pepper (English)
Mairichi phalam, katuvira, bruchi, ujjvala (Sanskrit)
Lal mirch (red), hari mirch (green) (Hindi)
Lal-mircha (Punjabi)
Lalmarach (Urdu)
Botanical name: Capsicum annuum (chilli peppers) and Capsicum frutescens (includes bird's eye chilli)
Family: Solanaceae, the tomato and potato family
The term chilli can be confusing. It is used for several species in the genus Capsicum, of which there are lots of cultivars grown worldwide. These two are the most important in South Asia.
The Latin name Capsicum comes from a Greek-based derivative of 'kapto' meaning 'to bite' - in reference to its pungency.
The plant
Commercially produced dry chilli mainly comes from Capsicum annuum cultivars. It is a very variable species growing to 1.5 m high.
Leaves - the shape varies according to cultivar from broadly rounded to elongated with a tapering tip. The colour ranges from dark to light green and occasionally even purple.Flowers - single, white flowers usually occur at the ends of branches.
Fruits - very variable in size, shape, colour and pungency. Depending on the cultivar, they range from the mild, fleshy, sweet peppers used as vegetables and to make paprika, to the tiny, fiery, finger-like chilli peppers. Seeds are white or cream, almost circular and flat.
Capsicum frutescens is a shrubby plant with small, conical fruits which are extremely pungent and used to make Cayenne pepper