PEPEROMIA 



PEPPER 



2545 



In some collections is a plant known as P. crassi/olia (which is 

 probably not P. crassifolia, Baker, of Trop. Afr.). It is a very dis- 

 tinct species with dark green, ovate, fleshy Ivs. 3x5 in., becom- 

 ing very hard when old: sts. branched and upright in habit, a foot 

 in height: fls. in insignificant catkins. It is a very good plant and 

 deserves to be more generally known. P. pubifolia, Veitch. Peren- 

 nial creeper of unknown habitat, suitable for hanging-baskets. Lvs. 

 small, ovate, marked with a central gray bar. P. resedxfldra, 

 Andr6, intro. in 1865, was "found in all stoves" 2 years later and 

 said to be "a plant for the million." It differs from all the above in 

 being a flowering plant rather than a foliage plant, for the Ivs. are 

 merely bordered lighter green and the fls. are about as showy as 

 those of a mignonette, each one 3-4 lines long, and 100 or so in a 

 raceme. St. 1-1 3 2 ft. high, red, forked: Ivs. broadly ovate, cordate. 

 Colombia. B.M. 6619. WlLHELM MlLLER. 



L. H. B.f 



PEPONIA (Greek, melon, gourd). Cucurbitacex. 

 Climbing or sprawling plants, little known in hor- 

 ticulture. 



Perennial herbs, prostrate or scandent, often villous, 

 with fibrous roots: Ivs. lobed or rarely entire, dentate: 

 fls. large, yellow or whitish, monoecious, .the males 

 solitary or racemose; corolla-lobes 5, obovate; stamens 

 3; female fls. solitary: fr. large or medium, fleshy, 

 oblong or cylindrical; seeds many, black, flattened. 

 Species about a dozen in Trop. and S. Afr. Because of 

 an earlier genus of the same name, Engler has pro- 

 posed the name Peponium for this group. 



Mackennii, Naudin. Lvs. broadly ovate-cordate, 

 5-lobed to the middle: male fls. solitary; calyx-tube 

 subglabrous, narrowed from apex to base. It is hardly 

 scandent, densely villous and the st. grows J^-6 ft. long: 

 Ivs. 4 in. long: petals over 1 in. long: fr. oblong-ovoid, 

 about the size of a hen's egg, green at first, then marbled 

 with white, finally all red; pulp orange-colored, insipid. 

 Natal. Once intro. in S. Calif., but now apparently 

 lost; probablv not of much value as an ornamental. 



L. H. B. 



PEPPER. With American horticulturists "pepper" 

 usually means the red pepper (Capsicum, which see) 

 of which the green pepper is merely the unripe stage. 

 The black and white pepper of commerce are treated 

 under Piper. 



The red pepper (Capsicum) is doubtless native of 

 the New World, 'as there is no record of its having been 

 known prior to the discovery of America. According to 

 Irving's "Life of Columbus," this plant was first men- 

 tioned by Martyr in 1493, who says Columbus brought 

 home "pepper more pungent than that from Caucasus," 

 evidently comparing it with the black pepper of com- 

 merce from the oriental countries. It was cultivated by 

 the natives in tropical and southern America before this 

 time, and about a century later Gerarde speaks of its 

 being brought into European gardens from Africa and 

 southern Asia. The ease with which the plant spreads 

 in warm latitudes, together with the increased commer- 

 cial trade immediately following the discovery of Amer- 

 ica, doubtless caused a rapid dissemination through 

 tropical Asia and Africa, where it was supposed by 

 many to be indigenous and from there introduced into 

 European gardens. 



The first record of the use of pepper is apparently 

 by Chauca, physician to the fleet of Columbus, who in 

 1494 alludes to it as a condiment. Writers about a cen- 

 tury later considered it valuable as an aid to digestion 

 and also mentioned its use in dressing meats, dyeing, 

 and other purposes. Medicinally it was much used for 

 various ailments, such as dropsy, colic, ague, and tooth- 

 ache, and when mixed with honey and applied externally 

 was used as a remedy for quinsy. At a later date 

 preparations were given for black vomit and various 

 tropical fevers, and for a tonic, also for gout, paralysis 

 and other diseases. Its modern use is largely as a 

 condiment, forming a seasoning in almost every dish 

 eaten by the inhabitants of warm countries. The 

 smaller varieties are mostly used for this purpose. 

 The cayenne pepper of commerce consists of the small 

 pungent fruits reduced to a powder. The unground 



fruit is also made into pepper sauce of various brands 

 by preserving in brine or strong vinegar. The Tabasco 

 variety furnishes the well-known Tabasco pepper 

 sauce and Tabasco catsup. "Chilli con carnie" con- 

 sists of the small pungent varieties finely ground and 

 mixed with meat. These hot varieties are often eaten 

 raw by native Mexicans, as are radishes, and also form 

 an important ingredient of tomales so common in that 

 country and fairly well known in the southern United 

 States. The large thick -fleshed sweet varieties are 

 desired more by persons farther north, who use them 

 in various ways, served like tomatoes in either ripe or 

 green state, with vinegar and salt, or made into man- 

 goes by cutting one side, removing seeds and filling with 

 chow-chow pickles. The parts are then tied together, 



S laced in jars with vinegar and kept until wanted. The 

 uit is often used in stuffing pitted oh" ves after being 

 cooked in olive oil. In Spain some are canned after 

 being thus cooked and eaten with French salad dressing. 

 Paprika is a well-known Hungarian and Spanish 

 condiment made from the long, and more or less pointed 

 type of peppers. The Spanish paprika is much milder 

 in flavor than the Hungarian, it being made from a less 

 pungent pepper and doubtless in its preparation more 

 of the seeds and placentae are removed, which process 

 makes a milder condiment. The seed of peppers is 

 more or less used as a bird food; and the plants of 

 some varieties, like Little Gem and Celestial, are grown 

 more especially for ornamental purposes. 



Some thirty varieties are recorded by American 

 seedsmen. They differ from one another mainly in the 

 form and pungency of fruit and habit of growth. There 

 are endless forms among peppers, but certain types are 



2866. Pepper. The Ruby King variety. 



well fixed, as indicated by the botanical varieties under 

 Capsicum. Pungency is to be found in all peppers and 

 while located in the placentae, other parts may acquire 

 it by contact. Most of the smaller sorts, like Coral 

 Gem, Tabasco, Chilli, Cayenne, and Cherry contain 

 more of the pungent properties than the large kinds, 

 like Ruby King (Fig. 2866), Squash, Bell, Sweet Moun- 

 tain, and Golden Queen. Some medium-sized varieties, 



