Family: Solanaceae

Capsicum frutescens (chili pepper, Tabasco pepper) is a small, bushy perennial plant native to tropical regions of the Americas. It is best known for producing upright, slender chili peppers that range from green to bright red when ripe. The plant is widely cultivated in warm climates for culinary uses, adding heat and flavor to sauces, salsas, and traditional dishes worldwide. One of its most famous uses is in Tabasco® sauce. In home gardens, chili peppers are also valued for their ornamental appeal and ability to attract pollinators.

While Capsicum frutescens is not considered highly invasive, it can occasionally escape cultivation. Birds readily eat the fruits and disperse the seeds, allowing plants to establish in disturbed areas such as roadsides, gardens, and abandoned agricultural sites. In tropical environments, plants may persist year-round, increasing the chance of spread where conditions are favorable. However, it does not typically form dense infestations or displace native vegetation, and any volunteer plants are easily managed through regular garden maintenance and monitoring.

High Risk Traits:

• Produces many fruits and seeds
  
• Seeds dispersed by birds
  
• Perennial in tropical climates
  
• Tolerates a wide range of conditions
  
• Can naturalize in disturbed areas
  
• Widely cultivated (high propagule pressure)
  
• Reaches maturity quickly

Low Risk Traits:

• Mostly persists where cultivated
  
• Does not form dense infestations
  
• Poor competitor in intact native habitats
  
• Typically restricted to disturbed sites
  
• Easy to remove and manage
  
• No known allelopathic effects
  
• No documented major ecological impacts in Hawaiʻi