How do peppers exist?

[AJ Drew]

Wilds are generally thought harder to propagate than those that have been improved, culled, crossed and bred for cultivation.  Those cultivated seem to stand almost no chance against weeds unless helped.  I would think natural selection would have left us with weeds rather than wild peppers to refine. I wonder if part of humanities original infatuation with hot peppers was how rare they were.

Strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, hey what is that berry?  Ohhh shit that aint no berry.

 

[ako1974]

It may be a mutual relationship. They may have selected us (attractive looking edible thing) to continue propagating their genetics as much as we wanted to develop better, more domesticated strains. Great question, though.

 

[Yoimthatguy]

Agreed, this is an interesting topic to ponder, I'd be really interested to see what other people's thoughts on the matter is.
 
Now I've never grown wild peppers but my educated guess is the following: Wild pepper varieties have evolved to grow in very specific regions and/or conditions, where once removed from those circumstances from ether intentional acts of cultivation or other natural or un-natural environmental variations (such as climate change) reproduction becomes much more difficult. Peppers (or at least domesticated varieties) tend to interbreed very easily, so I would imagine that living and reproducing in a specific region for a long enough period of time they would become highly specialized, almost to a point of fault where if any of the variables of it's growing conditions change the likelihood of that plant developing to reproductive age becomes slim.
 
I like to think of wild peppers as the panda bears of the plant kingdom, where once removed from it's natural habitat they have a difficult time breeding.

 

[The Hot Pepper]

because aliens

 

[Hybrid Mode 01]

Agreed, this is an interesting topic to ponder, I'd be really interested to see what other people's thoughts on the matter is.
 
Now I've never grown wild peppers but my educated guess is the following: Wild pepper varieties have evolved to grow in very specific regions and/or conditions, where once removed from those circumstances from ether intentional acts of cultivation or other natural or un-natural environmental variations (such as climate change) reproduction becomes much more difficult. Peppers (or at least domesticated varieties) tend to interbreed very easily, so I would imagine that living and reproducing in a specific region for a long enough period of time they would become highly specialized, almost to a point of fault where if any of the variables of it's growing conditions change the likelihood of that plant developing to reproductive age becomes slim.
 
I like to think of wild peppers as the panda bears of the plant kingdom, where once removed from it's natural habitat they have a difficult time breeding.

 
 

because aliens

 
 
 
 
      Hmmm. Both very good answers! 

 

[Idiot Piquant]

"Artificial selection" has powerfully affected the evolution of many plant/animal species within the sphere of human influence. 

 

[AJ Drew]

Have read birds carry their seeds cause they cannot taste the heat.  Have read animals tend to ignore them because they can taste the heat.  It just seems like weeds cover them up before they can grow a single pod if you dont stay on top of them. 

I wonder if maybe in their natural habitat they get above the weeds in that area. Maybe the few that manage live enough years to cast shade on the weeds.

 

[Yoimthatguy]

I'd imagine chinense peppers would be particularly useless in nature, for the first three months or so they just sit there barely growing. Meanwhile an entire forest of weeds would have grown up around them before they are ready to put on a single flower.

Really makes me wonder what kinds of pepper varieties we could have if we bred for things like cold hardiness and pest resistance rather than solely for heat, taste and pod production.

 

[Hybrid Mode 01]

I'd imagine chinense peppers would be particularly useless in nature, for the first three months or so they just sit there barely growing. Meanwhile an entire forest of weeds would have grown up around them before they are ready to put on a single flower.
 
 

 
 
     I don't think it's as bleak a picture as you paint. Think about how other tree/shrub species do their thing.
     A sugar maple tree will release tens of thousands of perfectly viable seeds onto fertile forest soil each year. The vast majority will germinate only to be outcompeted by other forest flora. The ones that make it (a tiny fraction of a percent that germinate) will go on to become prolific canopy trees capable of releasing millions of seeds over the course of their lifetime.
     All it takes is a few plants to make it in the woody plant world. Year after year, an established plant has more control over its surroundings and creates an environment where it can outcompete neighbors and ensure that it can make lots of babies each year.

 

[Hybrid Mode 01]

Have read birds carry their seeds cause they cannot taste the heat.  Have read animals tend to ignore them because they can taste the heat.  It just seems like weeds cover them up before they can grow a single pod if you dont stay on top of them. 

I wonder if maybe in their natural habitat they get above the weeds in that area. Maybe the few that manage live enough years to cast shade on the weeds.

 
 
     Birds tend to travel more than humans. If a plant can make a fruit that tends to be eaten by birds, it's seeds will spread further. This is especially important in a areas with lots of islands (Caribbean). 
     A lot of woody trees/shrubs will concentrate a lot of resources into growing deep roots in their first few years. This allows them to deal with droughts and dry seasons better than other annual plants. They use the deep roots to get by during dry times, but still maintain a surface root system so that as soon as the rains come, they can suck up the water faster than nearby annuals can germinate. Then they grow canopies that tower over any seedlings that do happen to make it. 
     Fucking brilliant system, if you ask me. Trees are awesome.

 

[OCD Chilehead]

I'll let you know next year. Didn't get around to it this year. I plan on Guerrilla Farming a Annuum patch. It does have a natural water source. Cheating a bit, but nothing grows without a water source. I plan to plant seedlings and leave. I plan on not visiting until the end of the season. I'm sure they will pop the next year after the snow melts. We will see if they make it. I might go out in the Fall and just seed this year, or throw a hand full of pod's and see if they pop Spring 2017. I think as others have said, if a plant gets a start, it will eventually take over the area. Kind like mushrooms.

Thanks for the topic.

 

[Jase4224]

In a natural ecosystem there is no such thing as 'weeds'. All the fauna and flora have evolved to fill in a niche. I'm not surprised that chillies exist since they are a small berry attractive to birds (so easily spread over large distances and seeds are more viable after birds digested) and off putting to ground dwelling mammals due to the heat (mammals digestive system destroys the seeds). Also consider that in their natural habitat wild chillies probably grow and reproduce 'like weeds'.

Chillies only struggle when we place them in a situation where they are in a totally new climate, different nutrients and pests/disease they are not naturally equip to deal with. And of course they are out competed by weeds because many weeds are plants that are particularly hardy due to coming from harsh natural environments. Chillies are used to being pampered in the tropics by regular rainfall and warm more consistent temperatures.

On the Asian continent where the climate is tropical some chinense varieties have become self sustaining in the wild. The Shabu Shabu chilli from the border of China and Burma comes to mind..