How to Identify Pepper Plants
Peppers grow in a large range of varieties, from small or big, spicy hot or sweet, white to red to green. It is important to understand how to identify pepper plants, especially if you intend on consuming them. The hotness of different peppers is measured on a Scoville Heat index. Some of the most mild peppers are sweet bell and cherry peppers; pepper with medium heat are cayenne and Serrano; and very hot peppers are habanero and scotch bonnet. Peppers are popular ingredients for cooking and medicine, and can be grown in almost any condition. Identifying them involves understanding the types of seeds, petals, flowers, calyx and pedicels of the plant.
Wear gloves when handling extremely hot varieties. Use soap and water to wash your hands before touching any part of your face.
- Peppers grow in a large range of varieties, from small or big, spicy hot or sweet, white to red to green.
- It is important to understand how to identify pepper plants, especially if you intend on consuming them.
Examine the seeds on the plant. Dark seeds indicate the C pubescens species, which would mean the petals will be purple. Tan or yellow-colored seeds mean that the pepper species is mild.
Identify the petals of the plant, also called the corolla. Light-colored spots on the petals indicate it is the C baccatum species.
Identify the flowers of the chile pepper plant. Flowers that are singular and solitary mean the variety is a C annuum. For two or more blossoms at the nodes, it means the variety is C Chinense.
- Examine the seeds on the plant.
- Dark seeds indicate the C pubescens species, which would mean the petals will be purple.
Identify the calyx of a mature fruit from the pepper plant. If there is a ring-like growth at the top of the pepper connecting to the stem, the variety is C Chinense.
Examine the blooms. A pepper that exhibit flowers blooming in groups of two or more is C frutescens.
Gypsy Pepper Plants
Depending on the availalblity in your area, you can grow Gypsy pepper plants from seed or from seedlings. If you decide to start from seed, plant the seeds indoors in a warm spot about eight weeks before the last frost in your area. The temperature at night needs to be over 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Pick a container that is about 5 gallons in volume or about 16 inches in diameter. Grow only a single pepper plant per pot. To prevent root rot, the soil needs to drain well. Gypsy pepper plants are resistant to tobacco mosiac virus, a virus that usually causes white spots and damage to the leaves.
- Identify the calyx of a mature fruit from the pepper plant.
- To prevent root rot, the soil needs to drain well.
