A modern view of the genus Capsicum (chili peppers)

Capsicum, an endemic genus to the Americas in pre-Colombian times, spread to the Old World gaining an importance that in may ways exceeded its significance in the New World. Chili peppers transformed the diet of the world and continue to do so. People of Africa and Asia do not believe that hot peppers have a history of fewer than 500 years in the Old World. Linnaeus named several species of Capsicum in the 18th century. In the 19th century the size of Capsicum increased exponentially with the naming of more thsan 150 taxa. Today we recognize at least 36 species with as many as five new species still to be named and described from Peru, Brazil and Bolivia. The domesticated taxa have been assigned to as few as three and as many as five taxa. More than 200 cultivars exist world-wide with two of the best know being Jalapeno and Habanero.