Here is a selection of chillis that we have grown over the years, they should be fairly easy to purchase from seed companies, or if not why not join our chilli forums where you will find lots of useful help and advice and trade a few seeds. The size of the plants obviously depend on growing conditions and whether they are restricted in pots, most of the larger varieties size is given for ground growing, the ornamental types will be quite happy in a 3 litre pot.

Anaheim (capsicum annuum)
Origins Mexico
Bushy plant can grow up to a metre in height with chillis about 20 cm long, medium to thick flesh, with a fresh green taste improved by charring, usually available in its green form, but can be left to ripen to red which is then a bit hotter, close relative to the New Mexico Chilli. Not too hot this green chilli so it can be roasted and stuffed, or dried and powdered in its red form.

Antohi Romanian (capsicum annuum)
Origins Romania
Good frying pepper, about 16-20 cm long, these tapered pointed fruits ripen from a pale yellow to orange/red. Early fruiting with a heavy yield. Originating in Romania these sweet peppers are usually fried in a hot pan.

Apache (capsicum annuum)
Origins Unknown
The widely available apache makes a good dwarf pot plant for the patio or windowsill with a good crop of chillis all summer, plant reaches about 30-45 cm high with a good crop of green ripening to slightly wrinkled red chillis.

Aurora (capsicum annuum)
Origins Unknown
Small colourful ornamental ideal for growing in a pot which reaches 30-45 cm high, slight purpling on some leaves with tapered upright fruit about 4 cm long, ripens from dark purple to orange to red.

Bangalore Torpedo (capsicum frutescens)
Origins India
Bushy plant can grow up to a metre in height,fairly prolific, these 7 cm long hot chillis will ripen from a lime green to a deep red and become twisted and hooked. Good for indian cooking with a clean hot flavour.

Banana (capsicum annuum)
Origins USA
Bushy plant can grow up to a metre in height with 15 cm long fruits, this crisp, thick fleshed, mild to medium hot chilli is very similar to the Hungarian wax chilli but slightly milder. Used in sauces or can be roasted and stuffed. Can be found pickled and therefore good as a snack.

Bulgarian Carrot (capsicum annuum)
Origins Bulgaria
Stocky plant up to about a metre, good yields of 8 cm fruits, thick fleshed and fairly hot, colour and shape of a carrot. Good for pickling or roasting and stuffing.

Bonda Ma Jacqeus (capsicum chinense)
Origins Caribbean
Fairly tall up to nearly a metre in a pot, this West Indies, aromatic habanero chilli variety is very hot, about 5 cm long ripening from green to yellow.

Calcutta (capsicum frutescens)
Origins India
Thin tall plant up to a metre, giving very flavourful but extremely hot 5 - 7 cm chillis, pale green pods maturing to red.

Cayenne (capsicum annuum)
Origins French Guyana
Bushy plant can grow up to a metre in height, fruits 4 to 6 inches long, these thin fleshed chillis are very widely available fresh in green or red depending if they've been ripened on the bush, has an acidic tart flavour. Used in chilli sauces but main use is its powdered form cayenne pepper. There are now a variety of sizes and colours of this popular chilli.

Cherry Bomb (capsicum annuum)
Origins USA
Produces a large bushy plant with an early productive crop of 3- 5 cm pendant shaped fruit. which ripen from dark green to bright red. Good for stuffing with cheese and baked, or in fresh salsas.

Chilaca (capsicum annuum)
Origins USA
Large bushy plant producing a good crop of long 20 cm chillis, ripening from a dark green to dark brown. It is a mild to medium rich-flavoured chile usually used in Mexican sauces, often dried and then known as chile pasilla or chile negro.

Czechoslovakian Black (capsicum annuum)
Origins Czechoslovakia
Large bushy plant up to a metre in height, produces good early yields of 2 inch long hot peppers, which can grow grow upright and turn from black to a deep red when mature. Plant has fuzzy green stems, fuzzy green leaves, and purple flowers.

Elephants trunk (capsicum annuum)
Origins India
Plant grows to about a metre, medium hot from East India, ripening from green to red, with thin flesh and a nice flavour, very good for drying. The ends of the fruit can resemble an elephant's trunk as it starts to curl up.

Garden Salsa (capsicum annuum)
Origins Unknown
Plant grows to about a metre, with 15 cm long fruits, ripening from green to red, smooth medium thick fleshed chilli. Great in salsas and salads with not much heat. Good for stuffing and making sauces.

Habanero Caribbean Red (capsicum chinense)
Origins Mexico
Plant grows to about a metre with lots of productive fruits growing to about 4 cm, ripening from light green to red. Apart from the heat they have a wonderful fruity flavour. As in all habanero types need a longer season to ripen. Used in salsas, chutneys and Caribbean cuisine, mixing especially well in salsas with fruit.

Habanero Chocolate (capsicum chinense)
Origins Jamaica
Plant grows to about a metre with a thick stem, fairly productive fruits growing to about 6 cm, ripening from green to a deep chocolate colour. Apart from the heat they have a wonderful rich flavour. As in all habanero types need a longer season to ripen. Used in salsas, chutneys and Jamaican cuisine.

Habanero Mustard (capsicum chinense)
Origins Caribbean
Plant grows to over a metre with a thick stem, very productive fruits growing to about 5 cm, ripening from light green to a brownish yellow mustard colour, hence its name.

Habanero Orange (capsicum chinense)
Origins Mexico
Bushy plant, considering it a habanero type this is a fairly early fruiting variety, 5 cm fruits, ripening from green to an orange. Used in salsas, chutneys and Caribbean cuisine, mixing especially well in salsas with fruit.

Habanero Scutaba (capsicum chinense)
Origins Unknown
Tall plant with smooth skinned fruits about 3-4 cm, very prolific, family early habanero. Ripens from green to a bright red. Used in salsas, chutneys and Caribbean cuisine, mixing especially well in salsas with fruit.

Habanero White (capsicum chinense)
Origins Peru
Small bushy plant 30-40 cm, best grown in a pot, high yields of 4 cm fruits turning from green to a light creamy yellow colour, extremely hot.

Jalapeño (capsicum annuum)
Origins Mexico
Nice large bushy plant growing to over a metre, thick fleshed fruits about 7 cm long ripening from green to red if left. They tends to have more of a rounded end than a point. Widely used in Mexican cooking nearly always green, great stuffed with cheese and grilled or barbequed.

Jolokia Chocolate Bhut (capsicum chinense)
Origins India
Nice large bushy plant growing to well over a metre. Another variation of the Bhut Jolokia which are very hot, tapering from a 4 cm wide top to up to 9 cm long fairly early ripening from green to chocolate brown, with the crinkly looking surface.

Jolokia Orange Bhut (capsicum chinense)
Origins India
Nice large bushy plant growing to well over a metre. Another variation of the Bhut Jolokia which are very hot, tapering from a 3 cm wide top to up to 7 cm long fairly early ripening from green to orange/yellow, with the crinkly looking surface.

Jaloro (capsicum annuum)
Origins USA
This chilli is a developed early jalapeño which will ripen from a pale green to a golden yellow and then red if left. Similar to jalapeño, thick fleshed, fairly sweet, clean flavoured medium heat chilli.

Jamaican Hot (capsicum chinense)
Origins Jamaica
Bushy dense plant producing 4 cm bright red, thin fleshed hot fruits. Hot and sweet fruity flavoured and like the habanero goes well in salsas, chutneys and Caribbean cuisine, mixing especially well in salsas with fruit. There is also a yellow variety.

Lemon Drop (capsicum baccatum)
Origins Peru
Tall metre plus sprawling bush with delicate stems as it tends to lean over as it becomes heavy with fruit. Also known as Aji Lemon Drop. these chillis grow up to 8 cm long, ripening from a pale green to a bright yellow with a strong lemon flavour to them.

Lipstick (capsicum annuum)
Origins USA
Tall thins plant with fattish fruits up to 12 cm long, sweet, thick fleshed pepper ripening from green to red. Large crisp pepper with a good flavour used in salsas or good frying pepper.

Marbles (capsicum annuum)
Origins USA
Edible ornamental, compact bushy plant growing to about 30 cm high in a pot. Decorative but still edible forming clumps of small 1 cm round upright chillis, ripening from pale yellow to a deep red. Early to mature.

Medusa (capsicum annuum)
Origins USA
Plenty of upright 4 cm long chillis turning from pale yellow to orange and red. Good little ornamental plant for growing on a sunny windowsill, the plant will grow only about 30 cm high but will continually give lots of edible chillis. Easy to grow and ripens early.

Mirasol (capsicum annuum)
Origins Mexico
Growing to about a metre this bushy plant gives about 7 cm long clumps of upright chillis hence its name meaning "looking at the sun". Fruits ripen from green to translucent red with a fruity flavour.

Nu Mex Green (capsicum annuum)
Origins Mexico
Tall bushy plant to about a metre giving 12 cm long, medium fleshed varying in heat, sweet and earthy chillis. The New Mexico Green is excellent in stews, sauces and salsas and also excellent stuffed.

Peter Pepper (capsicum annuum)
Origins USA
Bushy plant to about a metre giving a good yield of 9 cm long fruits. Medium thick fleshed with a sweet hot flavour when ripened to red, also other varieties of yellow and orange. Novelty chilli known for its pornographic shape.

Poblano (capsicum annuum)
Origins Mexico
Bushy plant to about a metre high giving up to 14 cm thick fleshed fruits, varying in heat between mild to medium. The dark green poblano will ripen to reddish brown and is always cooked or roasted. Roasting will give a smokier flavour. Versatile chile, good for stuffing, when dried known as the ancho and used in Mexican sauces and moles.

Poinsettia (capsicum annuum)
Origins Japan
Bushy plant to about a metre high with upright 7 cm long fruits. This very hot chilli will grow upright in clusters and will ripen green to red will also make an attractive pot plant about 70cm high.

Prairie Fire (capsicum annuum)
Origins Unknown
Compact early ornamental with 3 cm upright chillis, ripening from cream to orange to reds. Good pot plant for growing on windowsills to about 40 cm high with plenty of fruit.

Pretty Purple (capsicum annuum)
Origins USA
Busy early ornamental with 2 cm round/teardrop fruits, ripening from purple eventually to red. Good for growing in pots to about 50-60 cm high with plenty of fruit. The leaf and stem also has slip purple tinges throughout to varying degrees.

Ring Of Fire (capsicum annuum)
Origins USA
Bushy plant to about a metre high with curling cayenne type of fruit, 9 cm long, turning from green to red. Plenty of thin fiery tapered chillis developing early in the season and can be grown in pots on a windowsill.

Robustini (capsicum annuum)
Origins ITALY
Good bushy tall plant from the pepperoncini family, fruits about 10cm long, medium fleshed and mild. Usually when yellow to green and commonly pickled to be used in deli bar sandwiches.

Rooster Spur (capsicum annuum)
Origins Japan
Ideal pot plant which will grow up to 50 cm, very hot little 1 cm upright tapered chillis, ideal for stir fry. Very productive plant ideal for drying.

Serrano (capsicum annuum)
Origins Mexico
Bushy plant to about a metre high with good yield. Stems and leaves have fine hairs giving them a fuzzy look. About 6 cm long, thick fleshed chilli, shaped like a bullet, it has a clean fresh green flavour with a good heat ripens from light green to red. Used in salsas, sauces or good for pickling, the ripened red version is sweeter than the green.

Super Chilli (capsicum annuum)
Origins Unknown
Bushy plant to about over a metre high, with up to 4 cm upright pointed chilli, compact and a very productive chilli plant giving lots of fruit, ripening to orange and red. Fiery heat good in Thai and Asian cooking, or pickle them if you get too many. Good for growing in a pot on the windowsill as its so productive.

Super Shepherd (capsicum annuum)
Origins Italy
Tallish plant to about a metre, giving about 12 cm long fruits, sweet Italian pepper, thick fleshed with juicy strong flavour, ripening green to bright red.

Tabasco (capsicum frutescens)
Origins Costa Rica
Good pot plant but will grow to well over a metre tall with 4 cm long upright fruits, turning from pale yellow to orange to red. The chilli has a thin flesh and an intense heat and go into the making of Tabasco sauce which originates from Tabasco in Mexico.

Tennessee Teardrop (capsicum annuum)
Origins USA
Bushy plant with upright 3-4 cm teardrop fruits ripening from a mottled light purple to a bright red. Good plant for a pot, growing to about 50 cm.

Thai Hot (capsicum frutescens)
Origins Thailand
Edible ornamental compact little bush about 80 cm high, so can be grown in a pot on a windowsill. Plenty of 2 cm upright very hot chillis ripening green to red, good in oriental dishes. Very productive plant ideal for drying.

Tri Colour Variegata (capsicum annuum)
Origins USA
Stunning ornamental with 2 cm oval purple chillis eventually ripening to red. Good for growing on windowsills to about 1 foot high with plenty of fruit. Each plant will look completely different with the amount of variegation on the leaves, white to green to purple.

Whippets Tail (capsicum annuum)
Origins Unknown
Bushy plant growing up to and over a metre high, one of the longest chillis to grow up to and over 30 cm long, some slightly curlier than others, will ripen green to red chillis, medium fleshed and medium heat.