Characters for the classification and identification of varieties of Capsicum.

The Solanaceae contain several members on which studies have been made to determine the usefulness of various characters in the identification and classification of varieties. Salman (1924) used the leaf index for the identification of potato varieties and concluded that if certain precautions are used this character is constant for a given variety and remains so over a rather wide range of environment. Krantz and Hutchins (1928) also used the leaf index as a means of identifying certain Anmerican potato varieties and in their paper call attention to the limits of its usefulness. However, their final conclusions indicate that when varieties are grown under comparable conditions, the leaf index may be a valuable addition to the other characters which are utilized for the identification of varieties and the detection of synonyms. Lindstrom (1927) and Houghtaling (1935) have made use of the fruit-shape index in their studies on the inheritance of shapes of tomato fruits. Although most botanists have come to recognize Bailey's (1924) classification of Capsicurm which groups all the peppers in one species, namely C. frutescens, with five sub-species or varietal groups, there is still occasional confusion in properly classifying some horticultural varieties. It has been the chief aim of this paper, therefore, to bring together facts that may prove beneficial in the classification and identification of such varieties of Capswcum.