NOT Habenero Pepper Plant!

[rebbetzin]

A couple of weeks ago I bought a few pepper plants at a local nursery. This one is already putting out peppers, but they are NOT what the label says they are.

Anyone out there know what they could be? I am going back to the nursery today with one of the peppers to see if they can tell me what it is I am growing instead of the nice Habeneros I thought I bought.

 

[Grow 4 Food]

It looks like a Chili of some type.

 

[shortcake1806]

Looks like a Jalapeno to me.

 

[meandwi]

A couple of weeks ago I bought a few pepper plants at a local nursery. This one is already putting out peppers, but they are NOT what the label says they are.

Anyone out there know what they could be? I am going back to the nursery today with one of the peppers to see if they can tell me what it is I am growing instead of the nice Habeneros I thought I bought.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...g Garden 2008/NotHabeneroPepperscloseup02.jpg

It looks like, Prik Ki Nu Suan (Thai name) Mouse Droppings Chilli, I believe is it's common american name. It's hard to tell without seeing one fully developed. A very good and very hot chilli! We eat them daily.

Chilli plants are very easy to grow from seed. This is the best way to get the variety you want. They also cross pollinate if you have your varities planted to close.

 

[Grow 4 Food]

Because you mentioned the cross polinate:

This year I have planted a sweet bell pepper plant right between (12 in stem to stem) 2 hot pepper plants. I have always loved the flavor of a bell but just thought it needed some power behind it. Now all I have to do is wait in the bees to do their work!

 

[meandwi]

Because you mentioned the cross polinate:

This year I have planted a sweet bell pepper plant right between (12 in stem to stem) 2 hot pepper plants. I have always loved the flavor of a bell but just thought it needed some power behind it. Now all I have to do is wait in the bees to do their work!

A Word on Cross Pollination (Hybridisation)

A chile seed (like any other seed) is the mature ovule of a plant. It contains all the genetic material, and stored energy, to grow into a plant (potentially) displaying the same traits as its parent. However, hybridisation (cross-pollination between chile varieties), introduces new and different genetic material and the effects of this hybridisation can be seen in the next, and future, generations. Seeds identified, and sold, as F1 hybrids identify first generation hybrids. Avoid saving seeds from these plants since the only predictable characteristic of the second generation is that - you cant predict it!

Almost all known species of chile plants will self-pollinating. However, with the aid of insects, they are also very promiscuous - readily cross pollinating with other species of chile. This cross pollination may result in viable seed. Cross pollination within the same species is almost certain to result in viable, and very vigorous, hybrids.

The most common Capsicum species, Annuum crosses prolifically with Chinense, sporadically with Baccatum and Frutescens but will not cross with Pubescens. Capsicum Pubescens will not generally cross with any other species, so in theory all seeds produced by a Pubescens species in a mixed garden will be 'true' and viable.

If you are planning to save seeds from a chile plant, and wish to it to have the same features as the parent, then you need to ensure: -

- That the donor plant is not itself a hybrid, - That the plant is isolated (specifically the flowers) to prevent wind-borne, or insect-borne, cross pollination.

This is especially important for commercial purposes, where you have the ability to offend all your customers! Not only does uncontrolled hybridization produce unpreditcable characteristics in future generations - it may also produce sterile hybrids, and/or non-viable seeds.

 

[whatnow?]

Nice Post, meandwi. Thanks for the information.

 

[papadekaitlyn]

It's hard to tell without an idea of how long the pods are in the picture, but those look like a variety of hot bannana peppers I grew a few years back... can't quite remember the name of the variety they were though...

 

[rebbetzin]

I went back to the nursery where I got the plant... with same photo I pasted up here, they weren't sure exactly what it was yet either.

I tasted one of them, they are just a tiny bit spicy... I will have to wait until they get bigger to really know what they are.

The nursery did refund my money for that plant, on a new habenero plant, from a different supplier.

They had problems with that supplier, since many of the plants were not what they were tagged to be.

 

[mooman]

The fact that you got it from a nursery tells me that it's probably a fairly common type. The upright form of the fuit narrows it down a little also. I agree with meandwi its probably what I've always seen labled as simply: Thai Chili Pepper. Could also be what are called "bird peppers" in South America (common name for any number of species with that growth form)? I've seen stores sell "ornamental" pepper plants that usually have that kind of fruit but never say exactly what they are (again probably any number of "bird peppers" or Thai Peppers).

I would also guess Tabasco as the young plants look alot like Habeneros but in my experience tabascos always are the last to set fruit and mature (they form very tall, branching plants).

Let us know what color it turns