Family: SOLANACEAE

Botanical Name: Capsicum annuum L.

Common Name:
SPANISH: Pimiento Type ENGLISH: Pepper FRENCH: Piment DUTCH: Spaansche peper
PORTUGUESE: Pepper GERMAN: Pfeffer ITALIAN: Peperone

General characteristics:
Annual herbaceous plant, although after pruning it can be grown as a biennial. Stem erect, of determinate growth, with a height varying, depending on conditions and variety, between 50 cm. and more than 2 metres. Branches at each node and the older parts are slightly lignified. The leaves are alternate, lanceolate and petiolate, dark green in colour. The flowers are white and appear at each node with a strong stalk which develops immediately after fruit set. The fruit is a berry, hollow in the cultivated varieties, of very varied shapes, which may begin to develop green, the most common white, or even violet, and ripen turning red, yellow, orange, violet or white. This species is classified according to the shape and ripening colour of its fruit.

Indicative data:

• Number of Seeds per Gram: 120-150
• Useful Plants per 10 gr. of Seed: 1000
• Planting spacing between rows: 80-100 cm
• Sowing spacing between plants: 40-50
• Seeds per Stroke: 1
• Planting depth: 1 cm
• Germination Power: 3-4 years
• Growing Cycle: 6-9 months
• Kilograms per Seed per Hectare: 0.2-0.3
• Germination Temperature (minimum, maximum, optimum): 13ºC, 35ºC, 20-25ºC
• Germination Time: 3-5 days