Bird's eye chillies

Where does Bird's eye chillies grow?

Found in: Africa, American Samoa, Angola, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Bougainville, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Caroline Islands, Central Africa, Central America, Central Asia, China, Congo DR, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, FSM, Gabon, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Guiana, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Korea, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Marquesas, Mexico, Micronesia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Peru, Philippines, Pohnpei, Rotuma, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sikkim, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, St Lucia, Suriname, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Tasmania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, United States, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, West Papua, West Timor, Yap, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Notes: There are 10 Capsicum species.

Growing Bird's eye chillies

Cultivation: The seeds are dried in the sun. They are small. For large scale plantings, 1.8-2.3 kg per ha of seed are needed. Seed is best sown in nurseries and the seedlings transplanted when they have 4-5 leaves. (After 3-4 weeks). They can be transplanted at about 0.8 m spacing. Pruning out the tops can increase branching. This is often done 10 days before transplanting. Excessive nitrogen can reduce fruit setting.

Edible Uses: The leaves are eaten cooked. The fruit can be used in very small quantities to spice food. The small red fruit are very hot to eat due to a chemical called capsaicin. They are therefore used to add spice and flavour to other foods. They are used to make many foods and sauces hot and spicy. They can also be dried and stored.

Production: The first picking of fruit can occur 3 months after planting and continue about every two weeks. Plants continue to be harvested for about 4-5 years before replanting. For dried chillies, the fruit are dried in the sun for 3-15 days. The fresh weight is reduced by about two thirds during drying. Yields of dry chillies can be from 300 kg to 2500 kg per hectare depending on growing conditions, irrigation etc. Young leaves are picked.

Nutrition Info

Bird's eye chillies Photos

References

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