Re: [CH] C. pubescens snippet of info.
Brent Thompson (brent@hplbct.hpl.hp.com)
Mon, 26 Jan 2004 12:35:59 -0800
> I thought all C. pubescens were cultivated. Are there wild ones too?
C. pubescens is one of the five domesticated chile species, so presumably
"wild" ones would be analagous to "wild" cats, dogs, or horses -- specimens
or populations which escaped into the wild from cultivation.
> I was talking to a Peruvian man at the weekend, who knew something of
> rocotos. He told me about the "wild" version of the plant which he
> says grows in the jungle areas of Peru/Brazil/Colombia. (This would
> put it near Iquitos, Peru. The Amazon River runs through the border
> area.) The fruit was described as (first finger curled across thumb)
> about the size of a small grape and exceptionally hot. Anyone have
> any more information about this? Does it sound like a C. cardenasii
> or C. eximium that you know of?
I would sure love to see (have :-) ) a C. cardenasii big enough to compare
to a grape, even a small grape!
What I have about C. eximium says:
> Fruits are spherical, small (6-11mm diameter, with largest forms in
> southern Bolivia), red, very pungent.
What I have about C. cardenasii says:
> Found only in the Andean sierra of Bolivia, in only one region in La Paz
> district
> Fruits very small, aromatic. In Bolivia, they are said to be better
> tasting than locoto or aji, though much hotter.
What I have about C. tovarii says:
> Found only in Rio Mantaro basin in south-central Peru, in low montane
> xerophytic zone.
> Fruit a pungent red globose berry, 4.4-7.6 x 4.2-7.3mm, pedicel 1-2cm long.
None of these three descriptions is consistent with a Peruvian chile which
is size of a small grape.
I would have to bet that small-grape-sized 'wild' rocoto is indeed C.
pubescens, a population that escaped long ago and now has quite small
fruits. This sounds like a really interesting one to try. Ask your
Peruvian friend to track down some seeds of this thing and get them to us
to experiment with.
--- Brent