Spice

Capsicum annuum

A tier

Capsicum annuum is the most economically important chilli species, covering jalapeños, cayenne, poblanos, many paprikas, and sweet peppers. Heat, shape, and flavour vary enormously within the species. Most supermarket fresh and dried red chillies are annuum. Culinary use spans fresh salsa to ground paprika. Identify by cultivar for heat prediction—species alone does not tell Scoville level.