Capsicum annuum

Image Credit:

UC Davis

Scientific name: Capsicum annuum

Common name(s): hot pepper

Name as shown in Phylogenes: pepper

Ploidy: diploid

Description:

Capsicum annuum (hot pepper) is a native to the Americas. It is the most widely grown spice crop in the world. The pungency of hot pepper is due to the accumulation of capsaicinoids, a group of alkaloids that are unique to the Capsicum genus.

Capsicum annuum is a member of the Solanaceae family and a cousin to tomato, potato, eggplant and tobacco. It is valuable in comparative studies of genome size expansion, fruit development, capsaicinoids biosynthesis pathway, and evolution of secondary metabolism.

Reference(s):

1. Kim S, et al. Genome sequence of the hot pepper provides insights into the evolution of pungency in Capsicum species. Nature Genetics. 2014 46: 270–278.

Genome Database(s): 

SGN