Capsicum is a genus of tender annual South American plants of the family Solanaceae. They have straight, woody stems and single, star-shaped, white flowers in the axils of the leaves, a wheel-shaped corolla, and a many-seeded berry. The flowers are followed by juiceless berries or pods, which vary in shape and size. They are green at first and change to red, yellow or purple. They contain many flat, kidney-shaped, white seeds, which are very hot tasting. Kinds that are commonly grown are varieties of Capsicum frutescens, which are the Peppers grown in the vegetable garden and include those from which red pepper, cayennepepper, Tabasco and paprika are made.
In tropical countries it is a perennial and will form a shrub as high as two meters, but when it is grown in gardens it is treated as an annual and is raised from seeds every year. Capsicum frutescens grossum, the Sweet or Bell Pepper, is a popular vegetable. When the fruit is ripe it is red or yellow, but it's used as a vegetable in the green stage. Research Capsicum
Abbreviations
Nature
Research Capsicum