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Bird Chilli
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Bird Chilli
P Naturalized Photo: Shashidharswamy Hiremath
Common name: Bird Chilli, Birds Eye Chilli • Assamese: জলকীয়া Jolokiya, পহাৰী জলা Pahari-jola • Hindi: मिर्च Mirch • Kannada: ಗಾಂಧಾರಿ ಮೆಣಸು Gandhari Menasu, ಸೂಜಿ ಮೆಣಸು Sooji Menasu, ಜೀರಿಗೆ ಮೆಣಸು Jeerige Menasu, ಸಣ್ಣ ಮೆಣಸು Sanna Menasu, ಕಾಡು ಮೆಣಸು Kadu Menasu, ಲವಂಗ ಮೆಣಸು Lavanga Menasu, ಭತ್ತ ಮೆಣಸು Bhatta Menasu, ಆಕಾಶ ಮೆಣಸು Akasha Menasu • Malayalam: Kantharimulaku, Pacha Mulagu, Palmulaku, Vellakanthari • Manipuri: ꯃꯣꯔꯣꯛ Morok • Marathi: लवंगी Lavangi • Tamil: மிளகாய் Mulaga
Botanical name: Capsicum frutescens    Family: Solanaceae (Potato family)
Synonyms: Capsicum annuum var. frutescens, Capsicum indicum
Bird Chilli is a shrubby perennials herb. It can be easily distinguished from Chilli by its flowers which are borne 2-3 together (flower solitary in Chilli), and the erect fruit, as opposed to drooping Chillies. Flowers are usually 2-3 per node. Sepal-cup is cup-shaped, sepals 5, triangular, pointed. Flowers are white, petals 5, triangular-ovate, finely velvet-hairy outside. Stamens are 5, protruding; filaments up to 1.5 mm long, stigma head-like. Leaves are about 10 x 5.2 cm, elliptic, base obliquely rounded to pointed, tip gradually tapering; leaf-stalk up to 2.6 cm long. Fruit is green maturing to red, tapering towards tip, erect. Seeds are many, compressed, circular. Bird Chilli is native to Mexico to Tropical America, cultivated and naturalized in India.
Identification credit: Shashidharswamy Hiremath Photographed in Mattighatta, Sirsi-Taluk, Uttar Kannada-Dist, Karnataka.
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