Cayenne pepper
You may well have had powdered cayenne pepper in a restaurant or out of a spice jar in your kitchen, but here’s the original form in which the small fruits of this plant in the nightshade family, Capsicum annuum, grow naturally. Known in Spanish as chile pequín or chile petín, the species is native in Texas and various other places in the United States and Mexico. I found this one growing happily in the shade of Dale and Pat Bulla’s front yard in northwest Austin on February 24th. Like the Mexican olive that you saw last time, this species is making its first appearance in these pages.
© 2013 Steven Schwartzman
that is a lovely study! z
Playamart - Zeebra Designs
March 9, 2013 at 6:38 am
That’s a good word, study. Although I’d seen chile pequín there before, I’d never gotten any good pictures of it, so this time I sat myself down in several spots and really studied it with my camera.
Steve Schwartzman
March 9, 2013 at 8:24 am
buen trabajo! from an artistic critique, i really admired that shot.
z
Playamart - Zeebra Designs
March 9, 2013 at 8:33 am
Really wonderful shot Steven!
Tina Schell
March 9, 2013 at 6:51 am
Thanks, Tina. I don’t mind saying that I felt that way about it too.
Steve Schwartzman
March 9, 2013 at 8:25 am
Reminds me of the head of matches–just waiting for the explosion of heat. As a gardener of many, many moons, I’ve noticed more and more gardeners growing these plants as borders and even naturalizing them.
lensandpensbysally
March 9, 2013 at 7:54 am
That’s a great bit of synesthesia you’ve come up with, Sally, using the heat released by what looks like a match head to anticipate the heat of this chile in our mouths.
Steve Schwartzman
March 9, 2013 at 8:38 am
A friend’s father grew this plant, and it was the perkiest thing ever. I enjoy the way the peppers seem to stand at attention, rather than drooping down.
Of course, Capsicum annuum is the active ingredient in many topical pain relief gels and ointments, too. It’s great for arthritis and rhumatism, among other things. There’s a nice summary here.
shoreacres
March 9, 2013 at 9:05 am
That’s the first time I’ve heard one of these plants described as perky, but the fruits do seem to be attention. (I think we’re always surprised when we find fruits growing that way, bananas being one example.)
I’ve heard capsaicin mentioned in television commercials, but I can’t remember in connection with what product and for what purpose. That’s a good article you linked to, and perhaps more authoritative than the one at Wikipedia, which among other things mentions the use of capsaicin in pepper spray. It also notes that the familiar bell peppers we eat are a cultivar of the original that has had the heat bred out of them.
Steve Schwartzman
March 9, 2013 at 9:44 am
Oh, and I had a thought in connection with this line from the article you linked to: “A few studies suggest that cayenne may help suppress appetite…” My thought was that if a would-be dieter of a non-Hispanic persuasion were given only foods with heavy doses of chile in them, the person would lose weight soon enough.
Steve Schwartzman
March 9, 2013 at 11:46 am
I’ve known chili petin all my life; my mom used to make hot sauce by keeping a bottle of vinegar with lots of the berries in it. We especially liked it in her homemade soup. I’ve grown them off and on but don’t have one now; next time I see one for sale though, it’s mine!
But I never knew that it was cayenne. Maybe I’ll try drying some and pulverizing them to put into chili. Hm.
Thanks for the new bit of knowledge.
Judy
March 9, 2013 at 9:26 am
You’re welcome. I learned a fair amount, too, in the articles linked to in the comment and response right before yours. Unlike you, I haven’t known chile petín all my life, but I’m glad to have made its acquaintance (though my mouth’s tolerance for heat will always be limited). The varieties of cayenne pepper sold in stores may well be cultivars of the original.
Steve Schwartzman
March 9, 2013 at 9:54 am
We have grown fruits and vegetables in our gardens for thousands of years, and because of this habit it is strange to consider that a common food plant grows in the wild. That is, until we remember that all the garden fodder was once only found growing in the wild. It is because the wild things were so flavorful that we began the practice of saving seeds for cultivation.
You mentioned that the Capsicum is in the nightshade family. I had no idea! This probably explains why my geese will give themselves a “panting sore throat” by eating all the pods and not touching the leaves. (Silly, yet smart, geese!)
This is a remarkably colorful and beautiful specimen, Steve. The blues in the background are opposite the red and orange found on the color wheel, which is precisely what makes this composition pop!
Lynda
March 9, 2013 at 9:41 am
Thousands of years: I had no idea you’re that old. But back to the subject. I’ve often thought about the fact that most of the foods in an average American diet come from Eurasia, often cultivars that people have bred from wild plants over thousands (there’s that number again) of years. There are a few exceptions, though, that come from the Americas: corn, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, sunflower seeds, pecans, and some others.
I’m glad you pointed out the effect of the blue in the background, which came from patches of sky visible through the nearby trees. When I looked through the viewfinder and saw that contrast of blue and red, I got excited about the pictures I hoped to get. I wasn’t disappointed.
Steve Schwartzman
March 9, 2013 at 11:26 am
I meant ‘we’ as a species, and collectively. (But I suspect you knew that, and are teasing me.)
Thinking on it…
Would there have been a better way to phrase it?
Lynda
March 9, 2013 at 11:55 pm
Yes, I’m just teasing again. My mind is always ready to play with words when there’s an opening.
Steve Schwartzman
March 10, 2013 at 12:07 am
Lynda
March 10, 2013 at 8:10 am
A very good photo. First I thought they were tulips, but surprise!
bentehaarstad
March 9, 2013 at 7:05 pm
I can see why you might have thought that, especially without anything to show that these are much smaller. Because tulips are of Eurasian origin, you won’t find them in this blog devoted primarily to plants that are native in Texas.
Steve Schwartzman
March 9, 2013 at 10:08 pm
It’s magnificent because I love the macrophotography !
Guillaume
March 10, 2013 at 3:02 pm
Welcome to the world of close-ups.
Steve Schwartzman
March 10, 2013 at 9:02 pm
This beautiful hot red is a welcome sight today!
melissabluefineart
March 11, 2013 at 12:51 pm
Even in Austin we’re having a cool spring, but chile-pepper-hot summer can’t be that far away. Happy heat to you.
Steve Schwartzman
March 11, 2013 at 1:19 pm
This plant is great for people who have a lot of dry shade (like I do). It grows with no problem and seeds out all over, with help of the birds, who love it and are not troubled by the heat.
gardengirl59
March 11, 2013 at 12:53 pm
That’s where this plant was growing, in dry shade. Thanks for letting us know that birds are fond of these fruits.
Steve Schwartzman
March 11, 2013 at 1:21 pm
Those even look hot! Good advertising!
montucky
March 12, 2013 at 11:08 pm