MIUCTUS CAPSICJ. 4.-:} 



its uses are more particularly described by Fernaiidr;^, who reached 

 Tropical America from Spain in A.D. 1514.^ 



[n the Hlstoria Sfirpiuiu of Leonhard Fuchs, published at Rislc 

 in 1542, foL 733, may be found the first a;nd excellent figures of 

 Capsicum longiim DC. under the name of Siiiquat^trtfm or Calicut 

 Pepper; the author states that the plant has been introduced into 

 Germany from India a few years previously. From this might be 

 inferred an Indian origin ; but on the other hand, Clusius asserts that 

 the plant was brought from Pernambuco by the Portuguese, whose 

 ooinmercial intercourse with India would easily explain it being 

 carried thither at an early period. He further states, that tlie Ameri- 

 can capsicum had been generally introduced into the gardens at Castille, 

 and that it was used all the year roimd, green or dried, as a condiment 

 and as pepper. He also saw it cultivated in abundance at Brunn in 

 Moravia in 1585.^ 



Capsicmn lonyiim DC. was grown in England by Gerarde (lo07 d 

 antea), who speaks of the pods as well known, and sold " in the shops 

 at Billingsgate by the name of Ginnie Pepper." 



Description — As already indicated, the Pod Pepper of commerce is 

 of two kinds, namely : — 



1. Fruits of Capsicum fadigiatum — These are | to f of an inch 

 in length, by about i\ of an inch in diameter, of an elongated, sub- 

 conical form, tapering to a blunt point, and slightly contracted towards 

 the base. The calyx, which is not always present, is cup-shaped, 

 o-toothed, o-sided, supported on a slender, straight pedicel, 'i to 1 inch 

 long. The fruits, which are somewhat compressed and shrivellecl by 

 drying, and also brittle when old, have a leathery, smooth, shining 

 translucent, thin, dry pericarp, of a dull orange-red, enclosing about 18 

 seeds, attached in two cells to a thin central partition. Tlie seeds have 

 the form of roundish or ovate discs, about I of an inch in diameter, 



'hat thickened at the edges ; the endiryo is curved, almost mto 

 . The taste of the pericarp, and likewise of the seeds, is 



somoAv 



ex- 



a rmg. xna rasie oi tne pericarj), 



tremely pungent and fiery. The dried fruit has an odour by no means 



feeble, which we cannot compare to that of any other substance. 



2. Fruits of Capsicum annuum of the commonest variety resemble 



tnose of a fadigiatum, except that they are of longer size, benig from 



2 to 3 or more inches in length, often rather more tapering towards 



the extremity. The seeds scarcely surpass in size those ot G. 



f'^dig latum. 



Microscopic Structure— The pericarp consists of two layers, the 

 outer being composed of yellow thick-walled cells. The inner layer is 

 twice as broad and exhibits a soft shrunken parenchymc, traversed by 

 thm iibro-vascular bundles. The cells of the outer layer especially are 

 ^ e seat of the fine granular colouring matter. If it is removed by an 

 fjeoholic solution of potash, a cell-nucleus and drops of tat oil make 

 tlieir appearance. The structural details of this fruit afiord interesting 

 subjects for microscopical investigation. 



^. Chemical Composition-Bucholz in 181C, and about the same 

 time Braconnot, traced the acridity of capsicum to a substance called 



'^i^toriadelasIndias,M^dni, i. (1851) = CaroliCIusuC«mi.o.seemm,Antverp . 



^'5. 1011. 9o. 



th 



