Capsicum pubescens species – (like Manzano Chilli)
Now here’s something different. This rare and unusual perennial pepper is unique – it has fuzzy leaves, beautiful purple flowers, and BLACK seeds. Huge numbers of pretty, 4 to 5cm pendant fruit with thick flesh slowly go from green to deep red. Native of the Andes a cool area sub-tropical plant. It requires a long cool frost-free growing season (120+ days), preferring temperatures of 40-60 degrees F. Moderately easy to grow it likes shade in our really hot summers. Very fleshy fruit, more-so than most chillies – like capsicum.
Rocoto fruit and seeds
Can be grown as an annual pepper in the usual fashion, and get lots of ripe fruit in Autumn.
Grown as as a perennial has a life span of about 10 years, and a height of 10 ft – 3 meters. Can be cut back to overwintering indoors, in a pot and plant can fruit for several years this way. We use the fruit to spice up stir-frys, pasta sauces and keep some in vinegar or dried for later use. They are pretty hot but it is a warming rather than burning heat, and has exceptional flavour. Some people think they are hottest of all chilies because they have a complicated unique flavor, nearly always covered in fruit.
Growing Instructions
Chilli seeds germinate at soil temperatures of 20 – 35C. Plant the seeds in a moist, not wet sterile potting mix in pots 1mm deep. In cold areas start chillies indoors 10 weeks before the last frost. Transplant into the garden when weather has settled and soil is warm. In warmer areas, seeds can be direct sown. Provide rich soil and ample moisture. In colder areas, chillies are treated as annuals, but in warmer climates they will live for 10 years. Unlike other chillies they like part shade and a cool position.
Rococo flowers
Very, very rare. A different species to normal chile!
Limited stock
What you get – 10 very fresh seeds – picked 26 November 2012
You can buy Rocoto Chile seeds here
rocoto tree.
