Extremely Hot: Bhut Jolokia C. chinense x frutescens Extremely hot pepper from India, aka 'Ghost pepper.' Light green pods turn red when mature. Much variability in plants & pods. Heat level: 10 |
Extremely Hot: Chiltepin, Tepin C. annuum From Sonora region of Mexico. Small egg-shaped pods are ¼–?" long by ¼–?" wide. Upright fruit have thin flesh. Matures from green to red. Heat level: 9 |
Extremely Hot: Santaka C. annuum A Japanese variety. Pods are approximately 2½" long. Ripens from green to red. Fruit grows upwards in large clusters. Very productive. Heat level: 9 |
Extremely Hot: Scotch Bonnet C. chinense Classic Scotch Bonnet flavor, fruity & fiery. Pods ripen from light green to bright orange-red. Heat level: 10 |
Extremely Hot: Thai Hot Red C. annuum Very productive variety. Medium-walled pods are tapered and pointed at the bottom, about 1½–2" long. Pods grow upright. Dark red at maturity. Heat level: 9 |
Extremely Hot: Trinidad Scorpion C. chinense Unique pod shape with a scorpion tail, though some percentage will more closely resemble Bhut Jolokia (Ghost pepper). As hot or hotter than Bhut Jolokia! Heat level: 10 |
Extremely Hot: Zimbabwe Bird C. annuum Plant produces good yields of 1" long by ¼" wide pods. Fruit grows upwards on plant. Initially light green, then orange, and finally red when mature. Heat level: 9 |
Hot: Aji Amarillo C. baccatum Popular South American variety. Pods are tapered, about 5" long by 1½" wide. The shiny, greenish yellow fruit ripen to orange. Consume fresh or dried. Heat level: 7 |
Hot: Cherry Hot C. annuum Compact plants produce heavy yields of 1–2" round, thick-walled pods. Great for pickling or stuffing, but can also be used fresh. Ripen to red for sweetest flavor. Heat level: 6 |
Hot: De Arbol C. annuum Plant produces good yields of 3" long by ½" wide hot peppers. Peppers turn from green to red when mature. Heat level: 7 |
Hot: Espelette C. annuum From Basque region of France. The fruits are conical shaped and 3–4" long. They are red when mature. Good dried. Heat level: 5 |
Hot: Jalapeño C. annuum High yielding jalapeño. Hot, thick-walled. Turns from green to red when mature. Best harvested when green. Excellent for making salsa and pickling. Heat level: 5 |
Hot: Indian Jwala C. annuum Plant produces heavy yields of 4" long, slender, wrinkled peppers. Most popular pepper in India. Very ornamental with peppers in all stages of ripening. Heat level: 8 |
Hot: Gochujang King hybrid C. annuum Classic chile from Korea. Dry and grind to make the bright red chile powder used for making kim chee and more. Hybrid. Heat level: 7 |
Hot: Rocoto/Manzano Orange C. pubescens The purple flowers, long, hairy stems, and jet-black seeds make this an unusual variety. The thick-walled pods are apple-shaped and are about 2" across. Heat level: 8 |
Hot: Serrano C. annuum Pods are about 3" long x ¾" in diameter. Round and tapered at the bottom. Dark green initially, they turn red at maturity. Excellent taste. Heat level: 7 |
Mild: Aji Dulce C. chinense This heirloom pepper is similar to habanero, but with only a touch of heat. Flavor is complex and aromatic. Heat level: 2 |
Mild: Aleppo C. annuum From the Kurdish area of Syria. 15,000 SHU but may be as high as 150,000 SHU. Also known as Halaby pepper. Heat level: 1 |
Mild: Anaheim C. annuum Mildly hot pods are 7–8" long. Use green or red. Perfect for stuffing and Tex-Mex dishes. Heat level: 2 |
Mild: Ancho / Poblano C. annuum Pods are 5–7" long and about 2¾" wide. The fresh pods are called poblano, and ancho refers to the dried form. A traditional stuffing pepper. Heat level: 3 |
Mild: Black Hungarian C. annuum The 3–4" long fruit has the same shape as a jalapeño. Color changes to blackish-red at maturity. Pods have a delicious flavor. Heat level: 1 |
Mild: Holy Mole C. annuum Salvatierra under new name. Hybrid pasilla-type pepper with good weight, length and diameter. Uniform fruits mature from dark green to a chocolate color. Strong plant produces early. Heat level: 3 |
Mild: Jalapeño TAM C. annuum Developed by Texas A&M University. Has standard jalapeño flavor with much milder heat. Heat level: 2 |
Mild: NuMex Big Jim C. annuum Big Jim is a popular variety. Pods are very large, 8–10" long and about 2" in width. The pods are thick-walled. Great taste. An Master Gardener favorite. Heat level: 2 |
Mild: NuMex Suave Orange C. chinense Developed at New Mexico State University. Habanero-type flavor but much less heat. Has a citrus-like taste. Orange at maturity. Heat level: 3 |
Mild: NuMex Suave Red C. chinense Developed at New Mexico State University. Habanero-type flavor but much less heat. Has a citrus-like taste. Red at maturity. Heat level: 3 |
Mild: Padrón C. annuum Wonderful pepper from Padrón in Spain. Wrinkled pods are picked small and green. Often eaten fried and garnished with kosher sea salt as a tapas. Heat level: 2 |
Mild: Peri Dot C. bacatuum The bell-shaped pods are bright orange and very thick walled. Excellent flavor. Plant has a long growing season, and can be used as an ornamental. Heat level: 1 |
Mild: Pizza Pepper C. bacatuum Heavy, thick-walled, cone-shaped 3–4" pods with a crunchy texture and delicious flavor. Dark-red colored at maturity. Heat level: 1 |
Mild: Shishito C. annuum Plant produces high yields of 2¼" long by ½" wide mild peppers. Peppers turn from green to red when mature. Similar in preparation and flavor to Pimiento de Padróns. Heat level: 2 |
Sweet Bell: Canary C. annuum Thick walled green peppers mature to bright yellow. Resistant to two strains of tobacco mosaic virus. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Bell: Coral (Orange) C. annuum Beautiful big bell peppers color up from green to bright orange at maturity. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Bell: Gourmet C. annuum Swiss variety, sweetest orange pepper. Typically produces 6 to 12 4-lobed fruits per plant. Bell-shaped fruit are 3" wide and 5" long. Resistant to tobacco mosaic virus. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Non-bell: Gypsy hybrid C. annuum Early, heavy producer of very tasty ancho shape peppers that are sweet even when green. Plants to 18". VTMV resistant. 60 days from transplant. Hybrid. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Bell: King of the North C. annuum Medium-sized green bell peppers ripen to a sweet red. Early variety is a good choice for areas with short, cool summers. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Bell: Lilac Bell C. annuum Deep purple bell peppers on 3' plants. Ripens from cream to lilac to purple, then to red on full maturity. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Bell: Mini Orange C. annuum Heirloom miniature orange bell from Ohio. Short, stocky 16" plants are covered with 2" fruits with 2–3 lobes, excellent sweet fresh flavor. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Bell: Mini Red C. annuum Heirloom miniature red bell from Ohio. Short, stocky 16" plants are covered with 2" fruits with 2–3 lobes, excellent sweet fresh flavor. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Bell: Mini Yellow C. annuum Heirloom miniature yellow bell from Ohio. Short, stocky 16" plants are covered with 2" fruits with 2–3 lobes, excellent sweet fresh flavor. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Bell: Red Bull C. annuum Large thick-walled peppers on strong, productive plants. Profuse foliage protects fruits from sun scald. Resistant to tobacco mosaic virus and bacterial spot. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Bell: Wisconsin Lakes C. annuum Early maturing bell red pepper developed at the University of Wisconsin. Sweet, thick walled, 4–6 oz. fruits, good yields. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Non-bell: Carmen F1 C. annuum Early and beautiful Italian bull's horn-style fruit. 6" long and 2½" wide shoulders tapering to a point. Very sweet when ripened to red with medium-thick flesh. Hybrid. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Non-bell: Corno di Toro Giallo C. annuum Shaped like a bull's horn. Pods are 6" to 10" long and 1½" wide. Ripens to bright yellow color. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Non-bell: Corno di Toro Rosso C. annuum Shaped like a bull's horn. Pods are 6" to 10" long and 1½" wide. Ripens to deep red color. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Non-bell: Cuollarici C. annuum Large curled pod from Tricarico, great for fried peppers. An Master Gardener favorite. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Non-bell: Jimmy Nardello C. annuum Large sweet fryer and very popular Italian sweet. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Non-bell: Jon's Long Orange C. annuum Long thick-fleshed peppers are a beautiful, intense orange color. The very sweet and delicious fruits are produced abundantly on healthy plants. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Non-bell: Lipstick C. annuum Sweet, thin-walled, 4" long and tapered to a blunt point. Dark red at maturity. The plants are productive and relatively early producing. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Non-bell: Marconi Golden C. annuum Big, 7–9" long pods. Very sweet, great for grilling, frying, or eating fresh. Yellow/orange color. A frequent taste test winner. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Non-bell: Marconi Rosso C. annuum Like Marconi Golden, but red. Big, 7–9" long pods. Very sweet, great for grilling or frying or consuming fresh. A frequent taste test winner. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Non-bell: Romanian Gogosari C. annuum Peppers are sweet and full flavored. Mature to red. A prolific producer. Heat level: 0 |
Sweet Non-bell: Sweet Sunset C. annuum Loads of sweet & colorful banana peppers on an upright, compact plant, perfect for containers and small gardens. AAS winner. Hybrid. Heat level: 0 |