Capsicum annuum:

Green bell peppers are members of the domesticated plant species Capsicum annuum. Green, yellow, orange and red bell peppers all belong to the same species, with the differences arising from the time at which they are harvested. Green bell peppers are bell peppers that have been harvested early. Yellow and orange bell peppers have been allowed more time to ripen, and red bell peppers are the most mature. Capsicum annuum is a domesticated species of the plant genus Capsicum native to southern North America and northern South America. The three species C. annuum, C. frutescens and C. chinense all evolved from a single common ancestor located somewhere in the northwest Brazil - Colombia area. Capsicum annuum is the most common and extensively cultivated of the five domesticated capsicums

Common Names:

in English: aromatic hot pepper, aromatic pepper, bell pepper, bird pepper, bonnet pepper, capsicum, Cayenne pepper, chili pepper, Chinese pepper, garden pepper, green pepper, Guinea pepper, mango pepper, paprika, paprika pepper, pimento, pimiento, red chili pepper, red pepper, Spanish pepper, sweet pepper

in South America: ají, chile, chilli, ik, pimiento, pucunucho

in China: la chiao, la jiao

in India: ahmur, birik, branmaricha, bruhi, byadagi menasina kaayi, capo-molago, chabai, chalie, cuvannamulaku, donne menasina kaayi, filfile, filfile-surkh, gach-marich, gach-mirichi, gachmarich, galakonda, gasmiris, hmarchate, jalakia, jangli lanka, jeeni chedy, jhal, kappalmelaka, kappalmulaku, katuvira, katuvirah, kempu menasu, kempumenasu, khaarada menasinakaayi, kogamiriya, laal mirchee, ladumira, lal, lal mirch, lalmirca, lalmirich, lalmirichi, lalmorich, lanka, lanka marich, lodachina, marcha, marchi, marchii, marchu, marichi-phalam, marichiphalam, mattisa, mattisawangru, menasina, menasina kaayi, menasinakai, milagai, milakai, milakay, mirapa kaayi, mirapa singa, mirapakaya, mirch, mirch-wangum, mirchee, mirchi, mirepakaya, miris, miriyapukaya, mirpakaya, mirsang, mirsinga, molagay, morok, mulagai, mulakay, mulaku, munrit, paccamulaku, parankimulaku, perangimuluk, pi-phik, pilpile-surkh, pittakarini, raktamarica, raktamaricah, seemai milagai, simamirapa, simamirepa, sudmirapakaaya, sudmirapakaya, tiksna, upperi-patanki, upperimulaku, upperiparanki, usimilagai, usimulagay, valmilagay

in Indonesia: cabe

in Japan: kidachi-tô-garashi, kôreigus, tô-gara-shi

in Malaysia: chabai, chabai achong, chaboi seberang, chaboi selaseh, chili, chili besar, lada merah

in Pakistan: hari, lal mirch, shima mirch

in Philippines: chili, katumbal, kitikot, lagda, pasites, sili, siling-labuyo

in South Laos: (people Nya Hön) ngaam ngay

in Tibetan: tsitraka

African names: filfil romi, forotu, kilikili, totoshi

in Angola: omu ndungu

in Benin: ata oyibo, takin, yédésé

in Congo: ndongo, ndongoya assuele, ndongaya assuêlê, pilipili

in Ethiopia: mitmita, mitmitta

in Gabon: ntogolo y’atanga, nungu-tsi-mitangani, okam- ntangha

in Kenya: nudulu

in Madagascar: malao, pilipilidia, pilipily, pilopilo, pilopilombazaha, piment de Cayenne, piment doux, piment enragé, piment Martin, poivron, rajakojakomena, sakaibe, sakaifantsinakoho, sakaipilo, sakay, sikafo

in Mali: keepel, kelekele

in Niger: barkhannu, barkhanou, tonko

in Nigeria: aman-ntuen, asie, ata abaijosi, ata abalaye, ata abureku, ata-eiye, ata gbasejo, ata isenbaye, ata-jije, ata-jiji, ata sisebe, ata wewe, barkono, ekie, isie, koruuko, ntokon, ntueen, ose, ose etore, ose mkpe, ose nukwu, ose nwamkpi, ose-oyibo, sata-jije, tashshi

in Rwanda: urusenda

in Sierra Leone: hua-wuyei

in Tanzania: biribiri, mpilipili, mpilipili hoho, pilipili, pilipili hoho

in Togo: kami

in Arabic: felfel, felfel ahmar, felfel rumi, felfila, ifelfel

Floral Description:

According to Flora of Pakistan:

Herb up to 1 m tall. Leaves oblong-ovate or broadly so; acute to acuminate. Flowers solitary, dull white, nodding after anthesis.

here are several varieties of the red and yellow ‘chillies’ grown both for ornamental and edible purposes. The more common ones cultivated in Pakistan are var. grossum (E.) Sendt. (Sweet or Bell pepper), var. cerasiforme Irish (Cherry pepper) with ± globular capsule and var. acuminate Fingerh (Red pepper or lal mirch) with elongated berry. Widely used to add spice to the food or as a vegetable. Also a source of Vitamin c.

According to Flora of China:

Shrubs or annual or perennial herbs, 20-80 cm tall. Stems glabrescent. Leaves solitary or paired; petiole 4-7 cm; leaf blade oblong-ovate, ovate, or ovate-lanceolate, 4-13 × 1.5-4 cm, glabrescent, base narrowed, margin entire, apex short acuminate or acute. Inflorescences solitary flowers or few-flowered clusters. Pedicel bent at apex, 1-2 cm. Calyx cup-shaped, undulate, 2-3 × 3 mm. Corolla white, ca. 1 cm. Anthers purplish, 1.8-2 mm. Berry mostly red (orange, yellow, or purple in cultivation), variously shaped, up to 15 cm. Seeds pale yellow, discoid or reniform, 3-5 mm.

The species includes forms with sweet or pungent fruits. The fruits are an important vegetable and flavoring, and the seed oil is edible. Fruits are used medicinally for inducing sweat. Plants are sometimes cultivated as ornamentals. During its long cultivation, many cultivars have been selected with very different fruit appearance.

The practice of referring woody plants of this species to Capsicum frutescens Linnaeus has little merit since herbaceous plants often become woody with age, and other characters supposed to distinguish the two species occur in various populations in both herbaceous and woody plants.

Chemicals:

(+)-Lariciresinol, (3R)-3-Hydroxyretinal, 9,9'-Diapo-10,9'-retro-carotene-9,9'-dione, alpha-Cryptoxanthin, Antheraxanthin, Apo-10'-zeaxanthinal, Apo-11-zeaxanthinal, Apo-12'-capsorubinal, Apo-12'-zeaxanthinal, Apo-13-zeaxanthinone, Apo-14'-zeaxanthinal, Apo-8'-capsorubinal, Apo-9-zeaxanthinone, beta-Carotene, beta-Carotene 5,6-epoxide, beta-Citraurin, beta-Cryptoxanthin, Botrydial, Canusesnol A, Canusesnol B, Canusesnol C, Canusesnol D, Canusesnol E, Canusesnol F, Canusesnol G,  Canusesnol H, Canusesnol I, Canusesnol J, Capsanthin, Capsanthin 5,6-epoxide, Capsanthone, Capsianoside C, Capsianoside D, Capsianoside E, Capsianoside F, Capsianoside II, Capsianoside III, Capsicoside A, Capsidiol, Capsorubin, Carlinoside, Cinaroside, Cryptocapsin, Cytidine, Dihydrocapsenone, gamma-Carotene, Isoschaftoside, Karpoxanthin, Lanosterol, Lubiminol, Lutein, Luteolin 7-apiosyl-(1->2)-glucoside, Luteolin 7-O-(2-apiofuranosyl-4-glucopyranosyl-6-malonyl)glucopyranoside, Mutatochrome, Mutatoxanthin, Neoxanthin, Nordihydrocapsiate, Obtusifoliol, omega-Hydroxycapsaicin, Phytofluene, Prenigroxanthin, Pyruvic acid, Quercetin 3-rhamnoside-7-glucoside, trans-4-Hydroxy-N-methyl-L-proline, trans-p-Feruloyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside, trans-p-Ferulyl alcohol 4-O-[6-(2-methyl-3-hydroxypropionyl)] glucopyranoside, trans-p-Sinapoyl beta-D-glucopyranoside, Violaxanthin, Zeaxanthin

Activities and Uses:

Carminative, insecticide, pesticide, antimicrobial, stimulant, tonic, spasmolytic, antiseptic, rubefacient, hallucinogenic. Fruits for inducing sweat; for smallpox, powder of the dry fruits with seeds of Elaeocarpus sphaericus; fruit infusion antipyretic, vasoregulatory; dried powdered fruits mixed with honey consumed for cold and cough; fruits and roots used for jaundice. Birth control by abortion, fruits of Capsicum annuum and juice from cut leaves of Aloe vera or Aloe littoralis pasted, mixed with honey and given internally. A few leaves crushed in the palm and inhaled for headache. The skin of the root included in a complex preparation rubbed on the skin as a treatment for mental disorders; stembark of Croton oblongifolius, Prunus triflora, rhizome of Curcuma domestica, ripe fruits of Averrhoa carambola and root of Capsicum annuum crushed together and boiled in water and the extract given in jaundice. Used in religion and magico-religious beliefs, to keep off evil spirits, leaf juice applied on the forehead and the fruits tied around waist; contact therapy, pieces of roots tied on the neck in malaria. Veterinary medicine, powdered dried fruit applied for foot diseases; smoke of the ripe fruits inhaled by cattle suffering from acute diarrhea.