Capsicum cardenasii

Overview

Capsicum cardenasii is a wild pepper native to western Bolivia, most closely associated with the highlands of La Paz Department. It belongs to a group of related wild peppers recognised for their purple flowers and small, pungent fruits.

In its native region it is known as ulupica. Unlike a pepper developed for large pods, its bright berries are usually less than a centimetre across. Local people collect these fruits from wild shrubs, and some also grow the plants on small farms.

Native range

Western Bolivia

Type

Wild species

Common name

Ulupica

Flowers

Lilac to purple

Ripe fruit

Orange-red to red

First described

1958

Discovery and naming

Botanists Charles B. Heiser Jr. and Paul G. Smith formally described Capsicum cardenasii in the scientific journal Brittonia in 1958. Its name honours the Bolivian botanist Martín Cárdenas, who helped bring this wild pepper to the attention of researchers.

The history of the original scientific specimen is particularly unusual. The reference material was not collected from an untouched plant on a mountain slope. It came from plants grown in a greenhouse at Indiana University, from seeds that Cárdenas had sent after they were obtained at a La Paz market.

On 15 August 1956, Heiser collected flowering material from those greenhouse plants. The 2022 Capsicum monograph later selected one of the preserved sheets, held at Indiana University, as the formal name-bearing reference specimen, known as a lectotype.

The fact that market-sourced seeds helped establish its scientific identity reflects how closely the species was already tied to everyday life in Bolivia before it received its botanical name.

Plant and foliage

This is a branching shrub or subshrub, usually 80 cm to 2 m tall, occasionally reaching around 2.5 m. The stems branch close to the base and form a rather open structure. Younger branches are slender and often follow a distinctive zigzag pattern; older stems develop pale greyish or light brown bark.

The foliage is green and comparatively small. Larger leaves are generally 3–5 cm long, sometimes reaching 6.5 cm, with narrow oval to lance-shaped blades and smooth edges. Smaller leaves often appear beside larger ones at the same branching point, creating uneven pairs.

At close range the leaves and young stems have sparse, fine hairs, including tiny gland-tipped hairs that botanists use when identifying related wild species. The plant looks more delicate and loosely branched than most compact, cultivated chilli bushes.

Flowers

The flowers are one of the clearest ways to recognise C. cardenasii. Buds start out lilac or violet and open into small, broad, bell-shaped flowers whose petals are predominantly purple to lilac, sometimes with white veins or pale markings near the throat.

An open flower usually measures around 8–11 mm across, occasionally a little wider. Its five pointed lobes spread slightly from a short bell-shaped tube. Small green or violet-marked sepals beneath the flower carry five short projections.

Flowers develop singly or in groups of two or three from leaf axils. Their short stalks can bend sharply near the blossom, giving the bloom a distinctive posture. In Bolivian field records, flowering has been observed mainly from December to March.

Fruit and seeds

The fruits are small, round berries, typically 6–10 mm in diameter. They begin green and turn orange-red to bright red as they ripen. Mature berries are glossy, pendent and readily separate from the plant.

Despite their size, the berries are pungent. Their heat is an important part of how they are used in local cooking. The scientific monograph describes their structure and pungency, but does not establish a universal Scoville rating for the species.

Each berry usually contains about 5–13 seeds, pale yellow to brownish-yellow. The seeds have a curved or rounded shape and a microscopically patterned coat. Fruiting has been documented from February to April in its native region.

Habitat and native range

Capsicum cardenasii is especially associated with the La Paz highlands and the inter-Andean valleys of western Bolivia. Field studies place it mainly around 2,400–3,000 m above sea level, where relatively warm, dry slopes alternate with patches of remnant forest.

It often grows in open areas among shrubs and cacti, including vegetation dominated by Cassia and related plants. These environments can be sunny and dry, quite different from the humid tropical forest settings occupied by some other wild Capsicum species.

While a published specimen from Tarija exists, the 2022 monograph considers that record possibly introduced. The best-supported native centre remains the La Paz region, particularly around the Luribay Valley.

Ulupica in Bolivian cooking

For communities in Bolivia, ulupica is more than a botanical curiosity. People collect the berries from wild plants, sell small quantities in local markets and sometimes maintain the shrubs in home or farm plantings. They are valued precisely because their small fruit carries a concentrated, lively heat.

Fresh or dried ulupica can be pounded into a spicy accompaniment known as llajwa or llaswa, commonly prepared with tomatoes, onion, chilli and aromatic herbs. The 2022 monograph also records the names jallpa huayka in Aymara and uchu llajfua in Quechua for related preparations.

Other recorded uses include preserving the berries in vinegar or oil, preparing them as pickles, or briefly boiling them before sale. These traditions show how a genuinely wild pepper can remain part of local food culture without undergoing the same large-fruited domestication process as commercial chillies.

The name uaika has also been recorded in Aymara for this species in the La Paz area. As with many regional food names, ulupica may be applied to more than one small wild pepper, including species that look similar to C. cardenasii.

Related species and reproduction

Capsicum cardenasii belongs to the purple-corolla group of wild peppers and is related to C. eximium and C. eshbaughii. Their small, red fruits can be difficult to distinguish, but their flowers offer useful clues.

C. cardenasii usually has a bell-shaped, lilac-to-purple corolla. The flowers of C. eximium are more star-shaped, while C. eshbaughii has predominantly white, star-shaped flowers with greenish-yellow markings and a more conspicuously hairy plant.

The species also interests researchers because of its variable self-incompatibility: some plants have difficulty producing seed from their own pollen, although successful self-pollination has been recorded. Its close relationship to other Andean peppers has led to experimental crosses, including with C. eximium and C. eshbaughii.

Its chromosomes have been counted at 2n = 24. Together with its distinctive flower structure and genetic relationships, this helps place it within the wider history of Capsicum evolution.

Conservation

Although the plant remains known and used in Bolivia, its natural distribution is restricted. The 2022 monograph recorded only a small number of documented locations, principally around the Luribay dry valleys near La Paz.

Using geographic range and habitat criteria, those researchers gave Capsicum cardenasii a preliminary Endangered assessment under IUCN-style criteria. This is a published scientific assessment, not necessarily a separate, formal listing on the global IUCN Red List.

Its continuing value as a local food plant makes conservation especially important. Protecting native populations and recording living material can help preserve both a distinctive wild species and the regional knowledge associated with it.