Pimenta da Neyde

Description

One of the strangest peppers in the genus, and one of the few that is genuinely a natural hybrid — Capsicum chinense crossed with C. annuum. It appeared on its own in the garden of Neyde Hidalgo in Brazil, who said simply that it was born there and nobody knows how. It carries her name.

The entire plant is pigmented: dark purple-green leaves, white flowers striped with purple, and pods so deeply purple they read as black. The anthocyanin is sun-activated, so shaded parts of a pod stay paler — and, unusually, the pods never change colour when they ripen.

Which raises the obvious question, and there is a simple answer: cut one open. The placenta inside is green while unripe and turns purple when the pod is ready. Once you know that, timing the harvest is easy.

Habanero-class heat with a fruity, faintly apple-like flavour and a bitter edge behind it. Vigorous and tall — taller than most chinense, which is the annuum showing through — but it takes to shaping and is a spectacular bonchi subject. Seed set per pod is low, so treat every seed as worth something.

Some chilies are worth tasting before you grow them. → Explore the Vault

Each pack contains approximately 8–10 or more seeds per variety.
Seeds are packaged in a certified EU seed packaging facility in accordance with applicable regulations.

Categories: Fatalii’s Favorites , Chili Seeds , C. chinense , Hot , Bonsai , Easy to grow , Ornamental