The facing heaven pepper (Chinese name:

朝 Chao may refer to: People * Chao (surname), various Chinese surnames (including 晁 and 巢, as well as non-Pinyin spellings) * Zhou (surname) (周), may also be spelled Chao * Zhao (surname) (趙/赵), may also be spelled Chao in Taiwan and som ...

天 Tian () is one of the oldest Chinese terms for heaven and a key concept in Chinese mythology, Chinese philosophy, philosophy, and cosmology. During the Shang dynasty (17th―11th century BCE), the Chinese referred to their highest god as ''Shan ...

椒; pinyin: ''cháotiānjiāo'', also known as 指天椒; pinyin: ''zhǐtiānjiāo'' meaning "skyward-pointing chili pepper") is a type of cone pepper, a group of cone-shaped, medium-hot

chili pepper Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli ( ), are varieties of fruit#Berries, berry-fruit plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. They are used as a spice to ...

s within the species ''

Capsicum annuum ''Capsicum annuum'' is a fruiting plant from the family Solanaceae (nightshades), within the genus Capsicum which is native to the northern regions of South America and to southwestern North America. The plant produces Berry, berries of many color ...

''. The species is native to

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

Taxonomy

The facing heaven pepper is type of cone pepper, a group within the species ''Capsicum annuum''. Cone peppers are sometimes listed as a botanical variety, as ''Capsicum annuum'' var. ''conoides''. This variety is not an accepted name in the

Global Biodiversity Information Facility The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is an international organisation that focuses on making scientific data on biodiversity available via the Internet using web services. The data are provided by many institutions from around th ...

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is ...

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

. Cone peppers are now called the ''Capsicum annuum'' "conoides group".

Description

Facing heaven peppers are identified by the conical shape and dark red color of mature fruit.

Uses

Historic sources described the fruits as "extremely spicy" though the flavor has likely changed over time.

References

Chili peppers Crops originating from the Americas {{vegetable-stub