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Varieties A-F

Aji Limo
Photo © Sea Spring Seeds

Aji Limo (Capsicum annuum) 

Origins Peru.
Heatscale: Heatscale 6

A Peruvian specialty that is one of the milder habaneros. The fruit measure about 30 x 45 mm and have a glossy skin that looks as if it has been polished. When they are young, the fruit are a light yellow colour punctuated with large patches of lilac purple. As they mature, they turn to orange and finally red. The plants are not overly tall and so can be grown either in pots or the ground, though in both cases they will need support.

Anaheim

Anaheim (Capsicum annuum) 

Origins Mexico.
Heatscale: Heatscale 2

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

Antohi Romanian (Capsicum annuum) 

Origins Romania.
Heatscale: Heatscale 0

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

Apache (Capsicum annuum) 

Origins Unknown.
Heatscale: 6

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.

Apricot
Photo © Sea Spring Seeds

Apricot (Capsicum chinense) 

Origins Unknown.
Heatscale: 6

Sea Spring Seeds’ version of a mild habanero, Apricot is virtually heat-free. The elongated fruit are slightly-grooved and measure about 25 x 60 mm. They have an appealing crunchy texture and a wonderfully fresh, aromatic fragrance. As they mature the colour changes from a delicate lime green to a stunning salmon orange. The medium-sized plants are quite tidy and disciplined, and can be grown, with some support, either in pots, growbags or the ground. Approximate heat level: 35,000 SHU

Aurora

Aurora (Capsicum annuum) 

Origins Unknown.
Heatscale: 6

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

Bangalore Torpedo (Capsicum fruitescens) 

Origins India.
Heatscale: 6

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

Banana (Capsicum annuum) 

Origins USA.
Heatscale: 6

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.

Beaver Dam
Photo © Sea Spring Seeds

Beaver Dam (Capsicum annuum) 

Origins Unknown.
Heatscale: 6

A vegetable-type chilli producing mild, cone-shaped fruit that measure a large 70 x 135 mm. The flesh is thick and juicy, and the fruit change from green to red with maturity. Early to produce, the bushy, sprawling plants have weak branches that droop under the weight of the fruit. Nevertheless, they are well-suited to growing in large pots, though some support will be necessary. Approximate heat level: mild

Bellaforma
Photo © Sea Spring Seeds

Bellaforma (Capsicum chinense) 

Origins Unknown.
Heatscale: 6

Originally from Tobago, this is a habanero that, at just 700 SHU, has only a touch of heat. The fairly tall plants yield masses of shiny, elongated chillies that measure about 25 x 60 mm and turn from light green to red as they mature. The fruit have a thick, juicy flesh, tender skin and a nice fruity aroma that make this variety a real winner – if you like the habanero flavour without the heat. Approximate heat level: 700 SHU

Bengle Naga
Photo © Sea Spring Seeds

Bengle Naga (Capsicum chinense) 

Origins Uknown.
Heatscale: 6

Bengle Naga has wrinkled fruit that change from light green to red as they mature. The fruit have an elongated wedge shape and measure about 20 x 60 mm. Given this variety’s pedigree, the fruit deliver magnificently on the heat, reaching in excess of 900,000 SHU in 2011. Ranking among the hottest chillies in the world, it packs enough heat to challenge even the most hardcore thrill seekers. The plants can be quite tall and are better grown in the ground or large pots. Approximate heat level: 732,000–923,000 SHU

Bolivian Rainbow

Bolivian Rainbow (Capsicum annuum) 

Origins Bolivia.
Heatscale: 6

Tear-drop shaped peppers turn from purple to yellow to orange to red with all colours present on the plant at the same time. Great container plant. Very prolific 2-3 foot plants have purple foliage and flowers and yield tiny, pointed 1 inch fruits.

Bulgarian Carrot

Bulgarian Carrot (Capsicum annuum) 

Origins Bulgaria.
Heatscale: 6

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 Jacques

Bonda Ma Jacques (Capsicum chinense) 

Origins Caribbean.
Heatscale: 6

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

Calcutta (Capsicum frutescens) 

Origins India.
Heatscale: 6

Thin tall plant up to a metre, giving very flavourful but extremely hot 5 - 7 cm chillis, pale green pods maturing to red. Very fragrant and very hot used in Indian dishes.

Caldero
Photo © Sea Spring Seeds

Caldero (Capsicum annuum) 

Origins Unknown.
Heatscale: Heatscale 2

Hybrid. The Caldero puts on a stunning display of colour, starting out a creamy yellow and changing to orange then red as they mature. The cone-shaped fruit measure about 2.5 cm wide by 8 cm long and are thick fleshed. The tidy, medium-sized plants are ideally suited to container growing when given some support. with their compact growth habit, they take up very little room in the greenhouse. This variety is as versatile as it is good looking, and cooks with a creative flare will certainly find a place for it in their kitchens.

cayenne

Cayenne (Capsicum annuum) 

Origins French Guyanna.
Heatscale: Heatscale 0

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.

Caldero
Photo © Sea Spring Seeds

Cayenne Pencil (Capsicum annuum) 

Origins Unknown.
Heatscale: Heatscale 2

Hybrid. A standard cayenne-type chilli perfect for Indian cooking. The thin, pointed fruit are very uniform, measuring around 140mm long, and hang down from the plants like Christmas tree decorations.  They turn from pale green to red as they mature and are medium hot. The upright, medium-tall plants can be very productive and are suited to growing, with some support, in large pots and grow bags as well as in the ground.

cayenne
Photo © Sea Spring Seeds

Cheeky(Capsicum chinense) 

Origins Africa.
Heatscale: Heatscale 0

Sea Spring Seeds selection from the Ghanaian land race kpakpo shito, the  small, roundish fruit are about 20 mm in diameter and change from lime green to orange to red as they mature. They are very hot, and their deep lobes make them look somewhat like the cheeks of a bum, hence the name. The plants are a tidy bush and can grow unsupported, making them perfectly suited for small or large pots and grow bags.

Caldero
Photo © Sea Spring Seeds

Charleston Hot (Capsicum annuum) 

Origins USA.
Heatscale: Heatscale 2

Bred in the States, this chilli has been around since the 1990s. Though classified as a cayenne, presumably because of the thin-flesh and elongated shape, the very hot fruit have uncharacteristic blunt ends. Deeply-grooved and about 100 mm long, they are also very attractive as they ripen from pastel yellow to orange and eventually bright red. Distinguished by yellowish green leaves, the medium-sized plants are productive, and do well in large pots, growbags and in the ground.

cayenne
Photo © Sea Spring Seeds

Cherry Bomb (Capsicum annuum) 

Origins USA.
Heatscale: Heatscale 0

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.

Caldero

Chilaca (Capsicum annuum) 

Origins USA.
Heatscale: Heatscale 2

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 chilli usually used in Mexican sauces, often dried and then known as chilli pasilla or chilli negro.

cayenne
Photo © Sea Spring Seeds

Coffee Bean (Capsicum chinense) 

Origins Unknown.
Heatscale: Heatscale 0

The tiny, round fruit of this variety measure 9 to10 mm in diameter and have a powerful fruity aroma. They mature from green to bright orange and eventually red, reminiscent of ripe coffee beans. The plants are short and busy and can grow unsupported in both small and large pots.

Caldero

Czechoslovakian Black (Capsicum annuum) 

Origins Czechoslovakian.
Heatscale: Heatscale 2

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.

cayenne
Photo © Sea Spring Seeds

Devils Rib (Capsicum chinense) 

Origins Ghana.
Heatscale: Heatscale 0

An extremely hot habanero chilli from Ghana. The variety has attractive, elongated fruit that measure 20x55 mm. They are slightly ribbed and turn from a shiny green to bright red as they ripen. The plants are sprawling bushes that can be grown either in the ground or large pots. Approximate heat level: 414,000 SHU

cayenne
Photo © Sea Spring Seeds

Dorset Naga (Capsicum chinense) 

Origins Dorset UK.
Heatscale: Heatscale 0

Dorset Naga was one of the hottest chillis in the world. The scorching heat of the fruit is combined with a distinctive fruity aroma, making this a truly exceptional chilli. The wrinkled, wedge-shaped fruit ripen from green to red, and can be harvested at either stage of maturity. They can be up to 20 to 30 mm wide at the shoulders and 40 to 50 mm long, but can be smaller when the plants are grown in pots. The plants are tall and ungainly; when given plenty of light and grown in the ground – where root growth is unrestricted – they can reach 1.5 metres or more.

cayenne
Photo © Sea Spring Seeds

Draky (Capsicum annuum) 

Origins Eastern Europe.
Heatscale: Heatscale 0

Hybrid. An early and productive vegetable chilli from Eastern Europe, where pepper breeding is a specialty. The large, cone-shaped fruit are mildly hot and change from light green to red as they mature. The flesh thickness matches that of a bell pepper, and the fruit are gorgeous both stuffed and roasted. The tallish plants are easily managed in either the ground or large pots (at least 7.5 litres in volume). Approximate heat level: mild

cayenne

Elephants Trunk (Capsicum annuum) 

Origins India.
Heatscale: Heatscale 0

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.

cayenne
Photo © Sea Spring Seeds

Fire (Capsicum chinense) 

Origins Suriname.
Heatscale: Heatscale 0

Habanero type chilli registered a surprising 572,000 SHU when grown in Dorset nursery in 2011. The wrinkled, elongated fruit are wide at the shoulder, then quickly taper down to a point. They are about 60 mm long, change from green to red as they ripen, and have a lovely aroma when broken open. The plants are fairly tall and do best in the ground or large pots, 10 litres or more in volume. Approximate heat level: 572,000 SHU

cayenne
Photo © Sea Spring Seeds

Fairy Lights (Capsicum annuum)

Origins Unknown.
Heatscale: Heatscale 0

Fairy Lights is a selection made from the ornamental variety NuMex Twilight. The plants have purple-tinged leaves matched by bright purple flowers that develop into small, cone-shaped fruit measuring about 12 x 25 mm. These put on a dramatic display of colours as they turn from luminescent purple to orange then red. The fruit are not only attractive, they are also hot. The spreading, bushy plants are quite short, and will grow unsupported both in containers and in the ground.

cayenne

Filius Blue (Capsicum annuum) 

Origins Unknown.
Heatscale: Heatscale 0

Ornamental producing green/purplish foliage and purplish-blue fruits and very hot when young, turning red and mild when they mature. Oval purple fruit are held upright and retain their color for a long time before turning red.

Anaheim

Fatalii (Capsicum chinense) 

Origins Africa.
Heatscale: 6

A Habanero relative, this prolific plant can grow up to a metre. The plant produces good yields of 6 cm long by 3 cm wide wrinkled extremely hot fruits which turn from pale green to bright yellow when mature. They have a fruity, almost citrus-like flavour and make a very attractive-coloured hot sauce.


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