Use of Capsicum frutescens L. by the Indigenous Peoples of Taiwan and the Batanes Islands

Abstract

Use of Capsicum frutescens L. by the Indigenous Peoples of Taiwan and the Batanes Islands. The local nomenclature, use, and distribution of C. frutescens among indigenous peoples in Taiwan and the Batanes Islands were studied. Among Taiwanese indigenous peoples, the distribution, frequency of use, and importance of C. frutescens were found to increase with decreasing latitude, which appears to have affected the local names of Capsicum and C. frutescens. The local name for Capsicum in the Batanes Islands—“sili”—is used by several indigenous peoples in Taiwan, suggesting that Capsicum was brought from the south to the north. Indigenous peoples in Taiwan and the Batanes Islands used C. frutescens fruits as condiments, medicines, ornaments, or for ritual uses; also, they used its leaves for soup. A complex of both green and yellowish-green types possessing ShDH-B was introduced from Indonesia into the Batanes Islands and Taiwan, and later only the type with yellowish-green immature fruit was introduced to the Ryukyu Islands under the bottleneck effect.