A food lover and avid gardener, Edmund McIlhenny was given seeds of Capsicum frutescens peppers that had come from Mexico or Central America. (tabasco.com)
For many years, there was uncertainty about this particular chile pepper, some sources even listed cayenne - type peppers as Naga Jolokia or put it into the C. frutescens species. (fieryfoodscentral.com)
Chinense: Crosses prolifically with annuum, sporadically with frutescens and baccatum, does not cross with pubescens. (fieryfoodscentral.com)