Biology: Hot Pepper Seeds by Species

The Capsicum genus includes at least five major domesticated species—annuum, chinense, baccatum, pubescens, and frutescens—each adapted to different climates and culinary needs. Annuum encompasses a spectrum from sweet bell peppers to jalapeños and cayenne, and is globally widespread.

Chinense yields the world’s hottest peppers—like habanero and Carolina Reaper—distinguished by lantern-shapes and aromatic heat, native to the Caribbean and northern South America.

Baccatum, mainly from South America, features ají varieties with fruity heat and distinctive spot-marked flowers.

Pubescens, with purple flowers and black seeds, thrives in Andean highlands and is known for thick-walled, apple-shaped rocotos.

Frutescens includes compact, often upright plants such as tabasco, popular in tropical sauces.

Wild species like flexuosum (tiny, pungent berries, Brazil), chacoense (sharp heat, Chaco dry forests), eximium (purple-tinted, Andean shrub), galapagoense (hairy, resinous, Galápagos endemic), praetermissum (Brazil, purple flowers, hot), and rhomboideum (non-pungent, diamond-shaped leaves) add diversity, resilience, and unique flavours to the pepper world.