Capsicum annuum and other species of peppers

The capsicum genus includes several different species of fruits, and literally thousands of cultivars of peppers. The most common species is capsicum annuum (pronounced an-you-um), and includes such varieties as the bell pepper (commonly referred to as just “capsicum”), jalapeno, cayenne, and poblano peppers. Other major species include capsicum chinense (which are the hottest peppers such as habanero and naga jolokia), capsicum frutescens (tabasco), capsicum baccatum (aji), and capsicum pubescens (rocoto).

Capsicum annuum is believed to be native to northern Latin America. It is a perennial, although people farming them treated them as if they were annually growing, hence the species name annuum (Latin for year). Most cultivars are mild to medium in spice, the bell pepper is said to have 0 Scoville heat units (SHU). Probably the spiciest variety is the Thai pepper, which can be as hot as 150,000 SHU. Wikimedia has a great list of pictures of these peppers here. This species is the most common, and there are hundreds of different kinds peppers in its family. The most well known are bell peppers, jalapeno, cayenne, poblano, serrano, cubanelle, chilaca, pepperoncini and the oldest member, chiltepin.

Capsicum chinense peppers are the spiciest of them all. The hottest pepper in this family, naga jolokia, reaches heat levels of over 1,000,000 SHU, the hottest recorded. There is a bit of controversy as to which species this pepper belongs, as it contains genes from both capsicum chinense and capsicum frutescens. Other peppers in this species are the habanero (often cited, falsely, as the hottest pepper, 300,000 SHU), scotch bonnet, and the dorset naga (held the previous record for the hottest pepper).

Capsicum frutescens most famous cultivar is the tabasco pepper (now grown in Louisiana to make the sauce), which can get as hot as 50,000 SHU. The hottest pepper in this family is the African birdseye (or African devil, African red devil), which reaches 175,000 SHU. It is common in most of west Africa as an additive to every meal.

Capsicum baccatum encompasses several breeds of the aji pepper. Aji (50,000 SHU) is a staple food of Peru, where they often eat it raw in salads and salsa. The different varieties are usually differentiated from each other based on their color.

Capsicum pubescens is the species to which the rocoto (or locoto) pepper belongs. The rocoto is also found most in Peru, but also in Bolivia and neighboring countries. They kind of look like an apple, but don’t bite into one thinking that, they can get up to 200,000 SHU. Unlike most hot chilies, rocoto can grow in temperate climates where the summers aren’t too hot.