The Lemon Drop pepper or the ''Ají Limón'' is a hot, citrus-like, lemon-flavored pepper which is a popular seasoning pepper in

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, where it is known as ''qillu uchu''. A member of the ''C. baccatum'' species, the lemon drop is a cone pepper that is around long and wide with some crinkling. It is commonly mistaken for ''Ají Limo'' which belongs to ''Capsicum chinense'', ripens to red, and has differently coloured flowers.

Description

Plants of the lemon drop variety are typical representatives of the species ''

Capsicum baccatum ''Capsicum baccatum'', also simply referred to as ' (), is a member of the genus ''Capsicum'', and is one of the five domesticated chili pepper species. The fruit tends to be very pungent and registers 30,000 to 50,000 on the Scoville heat unit ...

''. In the first year they can reach a height of . The plant grows upright and is highly branched. The leaves are dark green and relatively narrow, the petals are whitish - green and carry yellow - green spots on the base. Lemon drop is a high yielding chilli plant, in a year one plant can produce over 100 fruits. The time between fertilization of flowers and ripening of the fruit is about 80 days.

Varieties

The lemon drop has been confused with ají limo, a different species (C. chinense) has the following variants: * Ají mochero: Characterized by its citrus scent and bright yellow color. * Ají miscucho. * Ají paringo. * Ají bola.

References

External links

Ají Limo (Qillu Uchu, Lemon Drop Chili, Lemon Drop Pepper, Ají Limon)
Tasteatlas WORLD FOOD ATLAS. * {{Capsicum Cultivars Chili peppers Capsicum cultivars