92 
CAPSICUM ANNUUM. 
Gen. Char. Corolla wheel-shaped. Berry juice-less, witli 
2 cells. 
Spec. Char. Stem herbaceous. Peduncles solitary. Fruit 
oblong-. 
This species of Capsicum is a native of * South America and 
the East Indies ; it is cultivated in large quantities in the West 
Indies for making' cayenne pepper, &c.. It appears to have been 
introduced into this country about the year 1596*. Guinea pepper, 
as its specific name implies, is an annual plant, frequently reared in 
our gardens for culinary purposes, and for the beauty of its pods; 
there are two varieties of this species, one with red and the other 
with yellow pods, but they differ in no other respect, their properties 
being the same. The stem of this plant is somewhat angular, 
smooth, crooked, much branched, and rises to the height of from 
two to four feet; the leaves are elliptical or ovate, pointed, veined, 
smooth, entire, of a dark green, and stand upon long footstalks in 
irregular order on the stems ; the flowers are solitary, and proceed 
from the axillze of the leaves upon long footstalks ; the calyx is 
persistent, angular, tubular, and divided into five segments ; the 
corolla is monopetalous, of a yellowish white colour, wheel-shaped, 
consisting of a short tube, divided at the limb into five segments, 
which are spreading, pointed and plaited ; the five filaments are 
shorter than the corolla ; the antherae are oblong and yellow ; the 
germen is ovate ; style slender, a little longer than the filaments, and 
terminated by a blunt stigma; the fruit is a long pointed pendulous 
pod, at first of a fine shining green, changing as it ripens to a bright 
scarlet or deep yellow ; it is filled with a dry pulpy mass, and 
many small, flat, kidney-shaped seeds. 
Sensible Qualities and Chemical Properties. The 
various species of Capsicum have a spicy aromatic smell ; their 
taste is extremely hot and pungent, a very small quantity when 
chewed, exciting that burning sensation, which is vulgarly expressed 
by having thfe mouth on fire, and which continues for a long time. 
The principle on which the pungency depends, is soluble both in 
water and alcohol, is not volatde, reddens infusion of, turnsol ; 
and is precipitated by nitrate of silver, muriate of mercury, acetate 
of lead, sulphate of zinc, sulphate of copper, carbonate of potass, 
alum, and ammonia; but not by the mineral acids. 
* Nine species of capsicum are known and cultivated. Hort. Cant, 
