Habaneros, Scotch Bonnets, and the Bhut Jolokia are
the most commonly grown varieties of the pepper species Capsicum
chinense. This species comes in many forms of pods ranging
from round, top-shaped, long, or lantern-shaped. Colors can range
from white, yellow, orange, red, and brown when ripe.
The Habaneros and Scotch Bonnets when ripe, or dried and powdered
, have a unique apricot scent.
There are at least 500-1,000 different varieties of this
group of peppers worldwide, and they range from mild, like the
Puerto Rican Cachucha pepper, to the outrageously-hot Bhut Jolokia
and Fatali peppers.
There are several dozen varieties of Bird Peppers known throughout
the world.
The two best known Bird Pepper varieties in the United States
are:
TEPIN= Chiltecpin,
Chiltepin, Chile mosquito, Chile de pajaro, Chile silvestre or
Tecpintle.
The world's hottest pepper, collected from wild stands that grow
in the mountains of northern Mexico and southern Arizona, and
grows wild through central and South America. Pods are round,
1/4" across, turns red when ripe.
PEQUIN=Chilipiquin (Mexico), Turkey Pepper (Texas), Grove
Pepper (in orange groves, Southern Florida), and Pring-kee-new
[Rat-turd pepper] (Thailand). Pods are oval, less than 1"
long with the smallest pods being the hottest. Grows wild in Texas,
Florida, and south throughout the Americas.
An interesting story about the bird peppers:
Birds cannot taste the hotness in peppers and the fruit of the
bird peppers are so small that they are eaten whole. The bird
gizzards break up the pods and seeds pass through undigested and
surrounded by nice nitrogenous fertilizer. Mammals, on the other
hand, are discouraged by the extreme hotness of the bird peppers.
In Texas, where they call them Turkey Pepper, that the wild birds
intentionally eat a lot of peppers, which then flavors their flesh
and makes the turkeys distasteful to carnivores.
Hot Pepper Links:
PEPPER HOTNESS
SCALE--DREMANN'S.
PEPPER SEEDS of Habanero, Scotch Bonnet,
Tepin and other common peppers.
TEPIN DRIED FLAKES, for those
brave souls with fire in their heart.
PEPPER SEED GROWING INFORMATION.