Five Things That You Probably, Maybe, Most Likely, Sorta, Kinda Did Not Know About Peppers

— feeling what?!?

 

 
My favorite is, of course, the one that involves an arachnid!
 
1. Peppers belong to the genus, Capsicum, and they evolved in the Americas.
 
 
 
2. They are not even distantly related to black pepper (Piper nigrum). In fact, they are closer to potatoes and eggplants since they all belong to the same family, Solanaceae.

 

Other Berries

 

3. What you call peppers are actually its fruits and a type of berry.

 

 

This chart shows the Scoville Heat Index that ranks peppers from the mildest to hottest.

 

 

4. The spice in Capsicum comes from capsaicin. While humans are sensitive to the searing heat caused by capsaicin, birds aren't! That is why, they are the dispersing agents.

 

 

What chemists want you to think it looks like

 

What it actually looks like

 

5. The bright colors are a kind of a signal for birds that the fruits are ripe and the seeds ready for dispersal.

 

Couldn't decide between them, so posted both!

 

Source: http://www.indefenseofplants.com/blog/2015/10/15/fiery-peppers-the-evolution-of-the-burn