Capsicum tovarii

Description

Capsicum tovarii is a species of the Capsicum genusof Solanaceae, native to Peru where it is found wild on the slopes of the Mantaro river basin, Departments of Huancavelica and Ayacucho of Peru from where it is endemic. It has been reported since 1954 and was first described in 1983 by Eshbaugh, PGSm. & Nickrent, common name Mukuru or Mucuru-uchu (Peru, Huancavelica and Ayacucho). Capsicum tovarii are evergreen shrubs, the average height it reaches is 1 meter, it grows by climbing and with sympodial branching. The plant foot leaves are ovate-lanceolate, 3.5-8.2 cm long, between 3.8 and 1.2 cm wide; the upper part is hairless or only slightly hairy and the lower part is slightly hairy. The edge of the leaves is provided with a row of trichomonas, tapering towards the tip of the leaf, at the base slightly conical. The shape of the leaves is pinnate; matted hair can be found in the axils of the veins on the underside of the leaf. The petiole is slightly bucket-shaped and 1 to 3 cm long. The flowering period of Capsicum tovarii is in May. The radial symmetry of the flowers are unisexual or hermaphroditic. The cup- shaped calyx tube is 1.3 to 1.9 × 1.8 to 2.6 mm in height, the five sepals are fused and are variable 0-1.3 mm in length. All cups are glabrous or slightly pubescent. The bell-shaped corolla is 4.4-8.5 mm wide, purple and -or completely off cream-white, with two green dots at the base of the corolla. The tip of the petals is partly bent in the form of a hook, the edge is different strongly warty. The five stamensturned to the outside they are arranged in the same radius as the petals and fixed alternately and dorsally with them. The thecae of the anthers are arranged in parallel. Two carpels fuse to one ovary, 0.9 to 2.6 mm long and 0.9 to 1.5 mm wide, contain from four to eight ovules, the style is multiform and 1.5-7 different, 6 mm long. The stigma is rod-shaped or two tetralobal. The fruits are berries with a sharp spherical shape, red in color, 4.4 to 7.6 × 4.2 to 7.3 mm in diameter and are found on stems approximately 1 to 2 cm long. The lobe seeds are 3.5 to 4.5 mm long, cream-colored, with a groove to reticulate, with a slightly warty surface. The chromosomal base is x = 12. The fruits of the plant are collected and used as a spice, the local names are Mukúru or Mucuru-uchu.