CAPSICUM 



659 



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. 

 Kept. Mo. Bot. Gard. For cult., see Pepper. 



A. Plant annual or biennial. 



annuum, Linn. Fig. 787. Herbaceous or suffrutes- 

 cent, grown as annuals in temperate climates, but in 

 warmer latitudes often treated as bien- 

 nials. All of the leading commercial varie- 

 ties in the U. S. readily find classification 

 within the types or botanical varieties. 

 The species has never been found wild. 

 It is the pimento of Trop. Amer. 



B. Fr. oblong-linear. 

 c. Calyx usually embracing base of fr. 



Var. conoides, Irish (C. conoides, Mill.). 

 Suff rutescent : Ivs. numerous, rather small, 

 2-3 in. long, %-2 in. wide: peduncles 

 slender, straight, erect; fls. small; calyx 

 pbconical or cup-shaped, usually embrac- 

 ing base of fr. ; corolla greenish white, 

 spreading, j^g-^-gin. : fr. erect, subconical 

 or oblong-cylindrical, about 1% in. long 

 or less, usually shorter than the peduncles 

 and mostly borne above the Ivs., very acrid. 

 Coral Gem, Tabasco. Gn. 66, p. 381. 



Var. fasciculatum, Irish (C. fasciculatum, Sturt.). 

 RED CLUSTER PEPPER. Fig. 788. St. herbaceous, 

 round or nearly so: branches few: Ivs. clustered or 

 crowded in bunches about the summit, elliptical- 

 lanceolate, pointed at both ends: fr. also clustered, erect, 

 slender, about 3 in. long by M m - diam., very acrid. 



Var. acuminatum, Fingh. (C. chilcnse, Hort.). 

 LONG CAYENNE. Heroaceous, very branchy, about 

 2^2 ft. high, bearing a dense mass of foliage: fl. medium 

 size, spread l /2~%m.'. fr. larger than the preceding, 

 either erect or pendent. Chile. 



cc. Calyx not usually embracing base of fr. 



Var. 16ngum, Sendt. (C. dnnuum, Linn. C. Idngum, 

 DC.). Plant herbaceous, about 2^ ft. high, with com- 

 paratively few branches: Ivs. large, often 4 in. long by 



2^ in. wide: fl. 

 large; corolla 

 spreading, J^-l^ 

 in., dingy white; 

 calyx usually 

 pateriform or fun- 

 nelform, rarely 

 embracing base of 

 fr. : fr. often a foot 

 long by 2 in. diam. 

 at base ; flesh thick 

 and in some varie- 

 ties very mild. 

 Garden varieties 

 are: Black Nu- 

 bian, County Fair, 

 Elephant'sTrunk, 

 Ivory Tusk. 



787. A form of Capsicum annuum. 



BB. Fr. of various shapes, but not oblong-linear. 

 Var. grdssum, Sendt. (C. grdssum, Linn.). Herba- 

 ceous, about 2 ft. high, with few branches: Ivs. very 

 large, often 3 by 5 in., sometimes coriaceous, lower 

 ones usually pendent; petioles deeply channeled: pe- 

 duncles stout, about 1 in. long; corolla large, spreading, 

 %-l l /4: m - : fr. large, oblate, oblong, or truncated, 3-4- 

 lobed, usually with basal depression, more or less sul- 

 cate and rugose; flesh thick, firm, and of a mild flavor. 

 Emperor, Monstrous, Bell, Sweet Mountain, Golden 

 Dawn, Ruby King, Golden King, Brazilian Upright, 

 Golden Upright, Squash, and others, are garden 

 varieties. 



Var. abbreviatum, Fingh. (C. umbilicdtum, Veil. C. 

 luteum, Lam.). Suffrutescent : Ivs. broadly ovate, 2-4 

 in. long: peduncles slender, straight or curved, as long as 

 or longer than the berry : fr. about 2 in. long or less, vary- 

 ing much in the different horticultural varieties, in gen- 

 eral ovate, quite rugose, ex- 

 cept in one variety, some- 

 times turbinate. While this 

 variety is used to some ex- 

 tent for pickling, it is noted 

 more as an ornamental plant. 

 Some garden forms are : Celes- 

 tial, Etna, Kaleidoscope, Red. 

 Wrinkled, Yellow Wrinkled. 



Var. cerasiforme, Irish (C. 

 cerasiforme, Mill.). Suffrutes- 

 cent: Ivs. medium size, ovate 

 or oblong-acuminate, about 

 lJi-3}^ in.: calyx seated on 

 base of fr.; corolla large, 

 spreading, Vy-M/i in.: fr. 

 spherical, subcordate, oblate, 

 or occasionally obscurely 

 pointed or slightly elongated, 

 smooth or rarely minutely 

 rugose or sulcate; flesh firm, 

 fa-y^m. thick, extremely 

 pungent. Garden forms are: 

 Cherry, Yellow Cherry, Oxheart. t 



AA. Plant perennial. 

 frutescens, Linn. Fig. 789. Shrubby 

 perennial, 3-6 ft. high, with prominently 

 angled or somewhat channeled st. and 

 branches: branches loosely spreading or 

 trailing: Ivs. broadly ovate-acuminate, 

 3-6 in. long, 2-3 J^ in. wide: peduncles 

 slender, 1-2 in. long, often in pairs, usu- 

 ally longer than the fr. ; calyx cup-shaped, 

 embracing base of fr. ; corolla often with 

 ocherous markings in the throat: fr. red, 

 obtuse or oblong-acuminate, %-l)4 in- 

 long, J^-^in. diam., very acrid. Cult, 

 only S., as the seasons in temperate lati- 

 tudes are not long enough to mature fr. 



Var. baccatum, Irish (C. baccatum, Linn.). Plants not 

 so tall, but more erect than the species: branches slen- 

 der, fastigiate, flexuose: corolla small, spreading, about 

 J^in. : fr. ovate or sub-round, about %in. diam. 



H. C. IRISH. 



CARAGANA (Caragan, its Mongolian name). Legu- 

 minbsse. PEA TREE. Ornamental shrubs chiefly grown 

 for their bright yellow flowers; 

 some species are also used for 

 hedges. 



Leaves abruptly pinnate, often 

 with persistent spiny-pointed 

 rachis; Ifts. small, entire; stipules 

 deciduous or persistent and spiny: 

 fls. papilionaceous; stand- 

 ard upright, like the wings 

 with long claws; keel obtuse 

 and straight; stamens 10, 

 9 connate, 1 free; ovary 

 scarcely stipitate: pod 

 linear, terete, straight, 2- 

 valved, with several seeds. 

 More than 50 species from 

 S. Russia to China, most of 

 them in Cent. Asia. Mono-: 

 graph by Komarov in Act. 

 Hort. Petrop. 29:179-388 

 (1908), with 16 plates. 



The caraganas are decidu- 

 ous unarmed or spiny shrubs 



788. Capsicum 

 annuum var. 

 fasciculatum. 



789. Capsicum 

 frutescens. 



