How Are Chili Pepper Seeds Spread?

Animals

• Chili seeds can become trapped in mud on a passing animal's feet. As the animal walks around, the seeds will fall off. The seeds will then begin growing where they have fallen.

Birds

• Chili seeds are spread when birds eat them, then deposit them in another area in their droppings. Since the capsaicin slows down the digestion process of a bird, the seeds can pass through the intestinal tract unharmed.

Gravity

• When the chili pepper ripens, the pod becomes dry and brittle. The pod will eventually pop open, spreading the seeds on the ground under the plant. They will then germinate, becoming a new plant.

Trade

• Chili peppers can spread from trade between friends. This type of trading helped the chili pepper spread from the new world across the Eastern hemisphere.

Rain

• When heavy rains are present, ripened chili peppers drop their seeds and the rain can wash the seeds quite a distance away. The seeds catch on any uneven spots on the ground, germinating where they come to rest.