39 2 
fiftcnt, angular, tubular, and cut at the extremity into five fhort 
ferments : the corolla is monopetalous, wheel-fhaped, confifting of 
a fhort tube, divided at the limb into five fegments, which are 
fpreading, pointed, and plaited : the five filaments are fhort, tapering, 
and furnifhed with oblong anthers : the germen is egg-fhaped, and 
fupports a (lender ftyle, which is longer than the filaments, and ter- 
minated by a blunt ftigma : tne car. 
pod, or berry, 
of a mining reddifh colour, feparated into two cells, which 
feveral flattifh kidney-fhaped feeds. It is a native of both Indies, and 
flowers in June and July* 
This fpecies, and all its varieties noticed above, were cultivated by 
Gerard, and are now commonly produced in the garden ftoves of 
this country: the fruit varies both in fhape and colour, but that 
which is of a conical form, and of a reddifh or orange colour, is 
preferred. Its tafte is extremely pungent and acrimonious, fetting 
the mouth as it were on fire, and this fenfation is of confiderable 
duration. " It gives out its pungency to re&ified fpirit, tog 
with a pale yellowifh red tincture : the fpirit, gently diftilled off, 
onfiderable impregnation from the capficum : the remaining 
extract is infupportably fiery 
The ufe of this and the other fpecies of Capficum, which have long 
been employed for culinary purpofes, have but lately been adopted 
as a medicine. Cayenne pepper, which is now much ufed at our 
tables, is the fruit of Capficum baccatum of Linnseus, (Bird-pepper) 
and differs not materially in its effects from that of the fpecies here 
figured, for which it is frequently fubftituted. In hot climates, par- 
ticularly in the Weft Indies, 15 and in fome parts of Spanifh America, 
the Capficum is eaten both with animal and vegetable food in large 
quantities, and it enters fo abundantly into their fauces, that to a perfon 
unaccuftomed to eat them, their tafte is intolerably hot. e But in the 
climates of which the Capficum is a native, we are told that the free 
fe of it is a falutary practice, being found to ftrengthen the ftoniacli 
» 
affift digeftion, and correct that putrefcent colliquation of the humours 
a Lewis, M. M. p. 508. «» Vide Browne's Jamaica, p. I7 6 « 
iC 
At Peru cfpeciaHjr. Vide, Frezier Voyage de la Mer du Sud. t. 1. p* * 6i 
