Capsicum schottianum

Capsicum schottianum is a wild Brazilian species first published in 1846 by Otto Sendtner. It is endemic to south-eastern Brazil, especially Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and is one of the more widespread members of the Atlantic Forest wild Capsicum group. Records place it from coastal areas into mountain habitats, including elevations up to about 1800 m. In Minas Gerais it is recorded under the common name pimenta bentiví.

It grows as an erect shrub or subshrub usually about 1 to 2.5 m tall, though some plants can become larger and take on a small tree-like habit. The species is notably variable across its range, especially in overall plant size, leaf shape, and flower pigmentation. Leaves are green and can range from broader ovate forms to narrower lanceolate forms, with plants often carrying fairly broad foliage when growing strongly.

The flowers are one of its clearest field features. The corolla is white to yellowish-white with greenish to yellowish spotting in the throat, and many populations also show a purplish-red wash or spotting on the lobes. The calyx is usually toothless or bears only very short teeth, commonly associated with 5 visible nerves. This combination of pale spotted flowers and a nearly toothless calyx is repeatedly used to recognise the species.

The fruit is a small globose to subglobose berry about 7 to 9 mm across. It is green when immature and ripens to a greenish-golden yellow to transparent yellow shade at maturity. The berries are pungent, with 6 to 23 seeds per fruit recorded in taxonomic sources. Seed colour is described as dark brown to blackish-brown in grower records.

Culturally, the species has recorded local use in Minas Gerais, including use for dizziness, and broader Capsicum monographic treatment also notes immature fruits being used as pickles in oil or vinegar. Its long-standing interest in collections and later molecular work places it firmly within the Atlantic Forest lineage of wild Capsicum.