This rare seed of the Bird Pepper (Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum) was obtained in 1812 and 1813 from Captain Samuel Brown, who was stationed in San Antonio, Texas, by Thomas Jefferson. The species is said to be a native of southwest Texas, Mexico and Central America. In its native habitat, the Bird Pepper, known as Chiltecpin (Chill-tech-peen) to pre-Columbian Amerindians and the first Spanish plant collectors, is a low shrub growing to five feet in height.