Deno’s GardenMy Garden

Capsicum frutescens

African Chilli · African Pepper · Bird Pepper

Family SolanaceaeGenus Capsicum

A heap of slender green chillies with their stalks still on, wrapped in clear plastic
FruitThe original uploader was Matthäus Wander at German Wikipedia.CC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
Annual, Herbaceous Perennial, Vegetable, Warm Season VegetableExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Habit
subshrub or shrubPlants of the World Online
Height
4-6 ft1.2-1.8 mExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Spread
1.5-2 ft45-60 cmExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Flower
Green, WhiteExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Blooms
Fall, SummerExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Native range
Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Colombia and elsewhereGBIF Backbone Taxonomy
Hardiness zones
9-11Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Growing conditions

Sun
Full sun; Partial ShadeExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil
Clay, High Organic Matter, Loam (Silt), SandExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0), Alkaline (>8.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0)Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Moisture
Good DrainageExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension; Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • A wild chili pepper whose cultivars include the Tabasco pepper used in Tabasco sauce, piri piri and Philippine siling labuyo. Wikipedia: Capsicum frutescens

Protocol

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 365 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

about 12 months from start to sowing. Then 14 days to germinate.

29% germination in 14 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Capsicum p. 28Public domain
Show the original text
Capsicum (Solanaceae). It was reported in the 2nd Ed. that seeds of the green, yellow, and red forms all germ. in 9-11 d after removing from the fruit and after a WC as brief as 2 hours. It was proposed that possibly a germination inhibitor was somehow being transmitted into the seed inside the fruit. This has now been shown to be incorrect. What happens is that the fruit simply blocks access of oxygen to the seed. Thus the seed germ. 100% in 2-8 d in 70D with all three forms after removing from the fruit and placing in the moist paper towels. It made no difference whether the seeds were taken directly or WC for various times up to 8 d. In fact the seeds germ. under water in the WC treatment almost as fast as when in the more aerated paper towels. This result is in contrast to the behavior of the Casaba melon (cucumis melo) where seeds totally fail to germinate under water. The difference is attributed to the melon seeds requiring large amounts of oxygen whereas the Capsicum seeds are smaller and require less oxygen and are able to extract the needed oxygen from the water. Seeds of the yellow form showed no significant deterioration after 2 y DS. C. frutescens. Seeds DS 1 y germ. 70D(29% in 2nd w) indicating a fairly high death rate on DS.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Capsicum p. 28. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

Add to My Garden

View species page