Capsicum chinense pepper
Yellow peppers Capsicum chinense
Long pepper capsicum chinense
Yellow peppers Capsicum chinense
White pepper flowers Capsicum chinense
Contents
Find all our tips in the Monstera application
Capsicum chinense, the world's hottest pepper
Contents
Find all our tips in the Monstera application
Scientific classification
Family
Solanaceae
Type
Capsicum
Species
Pepper - Capsicum chinense
Other name:Capsicum annuum var. chinense
Make no mistake! If Capsicum chinense is said to be one of the "hottest" chillies in the world, it's not because it raises a melt for breakfast. Its strength is purely volcanic. With a score of up to 350,000 units on the Scoville scale, it reaches the 9th rung of pain: a veritable gustatory conflagration that earns it the title of "explosive" pepper.
How to recognize Capscium chinense?
Capsicum chinense forms a compact, bushy shrub. It rarely exceeds 80 cm to 1 m in height, and develops dense branching.
Its stem, lignified at the base, is highly branched. Branches are tipped with narrow, bright-green, slightly wavy leaves.
In spring and summer, small white to cream flowers appear, often grouped in twos or threes in the leaf axils. They are hermaphroditic and self-fertile.
Fruits are easily recognizable. While chilli pepper frutescens has elongated fruits, those of Capsicum chinense are short and stubby. They look like little lanterns or bonnets, with a sometimes wrinkled skin. When ripe, they turn red, yellow, orange or chocolate, depending on the cultivar. Their flesh is fine, but highly concentrated in capsaicin, which explains their potency.
What are the different Capsicum chinense varieties?
Some varieties regularly break records for pungency. These include Carolina Reaper, Trinidad Moruga Scorpion and Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper). Their intensity is well in excess of one million Scoville units, making them ideal for connoisseurs.
Unless you're preparing for a chili-eating contest, we recommend planting these varieties instead:
- The Habanero pepper, both very hot and extremely fragrant;
- The Antillean chili pepper (or Bonda Ma Jacques), an essential ingredient in Creole cuisine for flavoring sauces and simmered dishes;
- Scotch Bonnet pepper: fruitier and less hot than Habanero.
Is Capsicum chinense toxic?
Capsicum chinense leaves are toxic. Like other Solanaceae, they contain solanine and alkaloids. Keep your pets away from your crops to avoid poisoning and digestive disorders.
The fruit is theoretically edible, but its high capsaicin content calls for caution. Excessive consumption can cause mouth burns, digestive irritation and severe discomfort.
We strongly advise you to wear gloves when harvesting or cutting, and to avoid contact with eyes or mucous membranes.
The fruit is theoretically edible, but its high capsaicin content calls for caution. Excessive consumption can cause mouth burns, digestive irritation and severe discomfort.
We strongly advise you to wear gloves when harvesting or cutting, and to avoid contact with eyes or mucous membranes.
Our maintenance tips
Peppers are greedy plants. Don't grow them two years in a row in the same spot. Then plant bulbous or root vegetables to rebalance the soil.
They are also sensitive to frost. Wait until all risks have been eliminated before planting them in the ground.
They are also sensitive to frost. Wait until all risks have been eliminated before planting them in the ground.
Watering
Water your plant generously during the growing season.
Peppers like water. You need to keep the soil moist, but not soggy.
Water with room-temperature water at the base of the plant. Avoid wetting the foliage to prevent disease.
Adapt your watering when the days get shorter.
Water the base of your Pepper when the substrate surface is dry. Do not wet the leaves to avoid the development of diseases and fungi. Watering is best done with rainwater at room temperature.
Water moderately to keep the soil fresh. Avoid watering if the ground is frozen to preserve the roots.
Repotting
Obtain a pierced pot or tub 30 to 60 cm deep and 15 to 25 cm in diameter.
Pour clay balls or gravel at the bottom to make a drainage layer.
Fill your pot with a rich, light substrate. Use vegetable potting soil (80%) with a little perlite (20%).
Plant your Capsicum chinense. The crown should be level with the soil. Fruits can be large and heavy. Add a stake to prevent stem breakage. Pack gently and water.
You can mulch the base to retain moisture and cover the plant with a tunnel if the nights are still cool.
Pour clay balls or gravel at the bottom to make a drainage layer.
Fill your pot with a rich, light substrate. Use vegetable potting soil (80%) with a little perlite (20%).
Plant your Capsicum chinense. The crown should be level with the soil. Fruits can be large and heavy. Add a stake to prevent stem breakage. Pack gently and water.
You can mulch the base to retain moisture and cover the plant with a tunnel if the nights are still cool.
Fertilization
Fertilize until the first fruits appear.
Apply a fertilizer rich in nitrogen and potassium, such as a special tomato fertilizer.
Harvest
Harvesting begins in summer and lasts until the first frosts.
When the fruit has stopped growing and its skin is shiny, you can harvest it.
You can pick the fruit as soon as it's green, or wait until it changes color. The flavor will then be sweeter and the flesh thicker.
Slice off the stalk with a knife and remove the fruit carefully, so as not to damage your Capsicum chinense.
Prune
Prune after the second wave of fruit appears.
When your plant has formed its first two waves of fruit, shorten the branches one leaf above the last fruit.
If you live in a region with little sunshine, deadhead your plants when they bear around ten fruits. This way, the plant will concentrate its energy on harvesting rather than growing.
Plantation
Once the last spring frosts have passed, you can plant.
Prepare the soil by adding compost. Make a planting hole slightly larger than the root ball.
Plant your Pepper. The collar should be level with the ground and not buried. Add a stake to support the stems: fruit can become heavy and cause them to break. Pack and water.
If planting several specimens, space them at least 50 cm apart.
Mulch the base to retain moisture. You can also install a tunnel to protect your young plants from cool nights.
Plant your Pepper. The collar should be level with the ground and not buried. Add a stake to support the stems: fruit can become heavy and cause them to break. Pack and water.
If planting several specimens, space them at least 50 cm apart.
Mulch the base to retain moisture. You can also install a tunnel to protect your young plants from cool nights.
Seedling
Peppers seedlings need a temperature of at least 20°C to germinate(ideally 24°C). Grow your seedlings indoors, using a heated mini-greenhouse or heat mat if necessary.
Pour a drainage layer into cups or a terrine, followed by potting soil for seedlings and plantations. Water: the substrate should be moist, but not soggy.
Plant your seeds. You can plant them in rows in your seed tray, or arrange three seeds per cup. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of potting soil (about 5 mm).
Water regularly to keep the soil fresh and aerate your mini-greenhouse to prevent rotting.
Pour a drainage layer into cups or a terrine, followed by potting soil for seedlings and plantations. Water: the substrate should be moist, but not soggy.
Plant your seeds. You can plant them in rows in your seed tray, or arrange three seeds per cup. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of potting soil (about 5 mm).
Water regularly to keep the soil fresh and aerate your mini-greenhouse to prevent rotting.
Diseases / Threats
Information
| Lifecycle | Perennial |
| Foliage | Evergreen |
| Exposure | |
| Substrat | |
| Planting methods |
Open ground In pots In tubs Planter |
| Categories |
Vegetable |
| Tags |
Beginner Fritillary Soiffarde Edible vegetable |
| Origin |
South America |
| Hardiness (USDA) | 12a (10°C ≤ T° < 12.8°C) |
| Leaf color |
|
| Flower colors |
|
| Fruit colors |
|
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