Capsicum lycianthoides

Capsicum lycianthoides is a wild Andean species first published by Bitter in 1921. It is currently accepted by Kew, with a native range from Colombia to Ecuador, where it grows as a scrambling subshrub or shrub in the wet tropical biome. A major taxonomic conflict exists in that some Colombian authorities have treated it as Capsicum geminifolium rather than as a distinct species.

The plant is recognised by its glabrous stems and leaves and by its large ovate to broadly ovate foliage, which gives it a broader-leaved appearance than many other wild Andean Capsicum species. Published descriptions also note 2 to 5 calyx appendages, which can become horn-like and are one of the main structural features used to recognise it.

Its flowers are described as showy and broadly campanulate, and modern monographic sources associate the species with dark brown corollas. That floral appearance, together with the broad leaves and horn-like calyx appendages, forms the core visual identity of Capsicum lycianthoides in current taxonomic treatments.

The fruit are non-pungent and mature to orange or red, with dark brown to black seeds. The species is also notable for having the smallest seeds reported in the 2022 Capsicum monograph, at about 1.5 to 1.8 mm long. The combination of glabrous growth, broad leaves, showy dark corollas, orange to red non-pungent fruit, and extremely small dark seeds gives Capsicum lycianthoides a distinct identity among the wild members of the Andean clade.