546 Kitchen Garden Esculents of American Origin. {June, 
discerned at the distance of two paces; a crimson and scarlet 
mixt, the fruit about three inches long, and shines more than the 
best polished corall. The other, of the same color and glistening 
as much, but shapt like a large button of a cloak; both of one 
and the same quality ; both so violently strong, as when we break 
but the skin, it sends out such a vapor into our lungs, as we fall 
all a coughing. * * * * Jt grows ona little shrub, no 
bigger than a gooseberry bush.” In Jamaica, Long’ says “ there 
are about fifteen varieties of the Capsicum in this island, which 
are found in most parts of it. Those which are most commonly 
noticed are the de// pepper, goat, bonnet, bird, olive, hen, barbary, 
finger, cherry, &c. Of these the ġel is esteemed most proper for 
pickling.” 
Capsicum annuum L., has never been found wild, but C. frutes- 
cens Willd. has been found wild, apparently indigenous, in South 
America. De Martius brought it from the banks of the Amazon, 
Poeppig from the province of Maynas in Peru, and Blanchet from 
the province of Bahia? The form, C. indicum Rumph. = C. fru- 
tescens L., is said by Ainslie? to be constantly found in a wild 
state in the islands of the Eastern archipelago. 
Capsicum annuum L.—According to Naudin C. longum DC., 
and C. grossum Willd., are not specifically distinct from this plant. 
It is said by Clusius to have been brought by the Portuguese 
from Brazil to India, and reached England in 1 548 > and is men- 
tioned by Gerarde as being under cultivation in his time. The 
fruit is variable in form and color, as is also the plant. It was 
mentioned by Louriero (1790 or 1 798) as a cultivated plant of 
Southern China, but has not been noticed by the Chinese writers 
of the sixteenth century or in others of more recent date, al- 
though nowadays much cultivated in China’ It is the chili 
pepper of India, according to Firminger,’ while Drury assigns 
the name chilly to C. frutescens L. 
C. angulosum Mill. (1743).—Bonnet pepper of Miller. It isa 
variety of the preceding, and was described by Tournefort in 
} Jamaica, ed. 1774, book Itt, chap. vill, 721. 
? De Candolle, Orig. of Cult. Pl; 290. 
3 Mat. Med., 1, 306. 
- “Bretschneider, On the study, &c., p. 17. 
_ Gard. in India, 153. 
