# identify this pepper plant...



## speckle-catcher

found it growing in a shady area behind my garage, so I dug it up, potted it - and gave it a new home in the sunshine.

what is it?


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## scwine

Chiltepin, Texas official state "native" pepper. 

My favorite. Take an empty Worcestershire sauce bottle and fill up to the top with these peppers(with a few of them poked with knife). Fill with warm apple cider vinegar. Let sit in the pantry for about 4-6 months and you will have some of the best pepper sauce around for soups, stews,beans, greens, etc.


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## speckle-catcher

should I use the red ones, or the green ones?


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## MR. L.

which everone you use sample first they are hot. but good


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## Call me WhittieBass

Good little pepper for some added HEAT in chili.


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## FREON

speckle-catcher said:


> should I use the red ones, or the green ones?


 youze da blue onez......:rotfl:


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## dbarham

verdes


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## scwine

Orange/red. After you get use to picking a few, you will be able to tell which ones by how they come off with just the slightest pull.


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## CoastalOutfitters

i have a bush of those that is about 3 feet tall down at Sargent, they routinely cross with my jalepenos............the japs end up being about 1" long and insanely hot.


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## scwine

CoastalOutfitters said:


> i have a bush of those that is about 3 feet tall down at Sargent, they routinely cross with my jalepenos............the japs end up being about 1" long and insanely hot.


Yep. Same thing happened in my garden a few years ago. I also, believe most of these plants I have bought in the nurseries are a slight hybrid. 
The ones that grow wild out at our families place(Sealy) are smaller and totally round. 
Either way, they pack some heat.


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## sandollr

http://tasteoftx.com/recipes/chiles/pequin.html


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## Blue_Wave028

CoastalOutfitters said:


> i have a bush of those that is about 3 feet tall down at Sargent, they routinely cross with my jalepenos............the japs end up being about 1" long and insanely hot.


Have any of them spread that you don't want?


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## TXPalerider

scwine said:


> Chiltepin, Texas official state "native" pepper............


Actually, IMO, the Chiltepin is a little different pepper. It is a rounder "birdseye" pepper that grows wild in the Southwest and is the Texas State Pepper. 
See:
http://chiltepin.us/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiltepin_pepper

I believe the pepper pictured is a variant of the Chili Pequin/Piquin. They are often identified as/confused with the true wild Chiltepin. In fact, many Pequin peppers are even grown and sold as decorative plants in the U.S. (which may be where this one originated) Also, they are not as hot as a true Chiltepin. Regardless, the pepper pictured will be a good eater.

I eat Chiltepin pepper daily. It is by far my favorite pepper. After they turn red, I dry them and blend into a powder/shake and put it on everything. They are EXTREMELY hot, but the heat doesn't linger like jalepeno or habenero.

Just my 2 cents.


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## ROBOWADER

I think that is just an ornamental pepper bush. I also have one in a pot, looks identical. Very hot, edible pepper, just no flavor to them, just plain hot.


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## elpescador073

Yes sir that is a Chili Pequin plant. Very hot!!


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## scwine

TXPalerider said:


> Actually, IMO, the Chiltepin is a little different pepper. It is a rounder "birdseye" pepper that grows wild in the Southwest and is the Texas State Pepper.
> See:
> http://chiltepin.us/
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiltepin_pepper
> 
> I believe the pepper pictured is a variant of the Chili Pequin/Piquin. They are often identified as/confused with the true wild Chiltepin. In fact, many Pequin peppers are even grown and sold as decorative plants in the U.S. (which may be where this one originated) Also, they are not as hot as a true Chiltepin. Regardless, the pepper pictured will be a good eater.
> 
> I eat Chiltepin pepper daily. It is by far my favorite pepper. After they turn red, I dry them and blend into a powder/shake and put it on everything. They are EXTREMELY hot, but the heat doesn't linger like jalepeno or habenero.
> 
> Just my 2 cents.


Missed your post. My error.
After I posted my reply I did some more research cause I get confused on the difference and you are correct. 
The plant in the pic is indeed a Pequin, and the ones we have in the wild(at our place) are a Chiltepin. Either way they are delicious.


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## BlueWaveEd

The little round ones were deadly in Elementary school. We decided to see who was the MachoMan on eating those little suckers. Wasn't enough ice cream at any of our houses. Thinking about it brings tears to the eyes. Mom asked what possesed us to do that. We just gave her the look. They grew wild and seemed to be in everybody's flower beds. We called them either Bird's Eye peppers or Chili Pequins.


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## PasadenaMan

chile piquin, hard to find a real plant nowa days. hottest I have ever had.


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## Tyler

I have about 5 or more of the chiltepin variety in my yard. I have had one for almost ten years. They are very hot but sure make fine salsa. A good heaping teaspoon to a large can of peeled tomatoes works well. It is about like putting in four jalapenos or three serranos.

I think the mockingbirds must have a cast iron tooter to eat those. They love them and that is how they came to be in my yard. I have given away lots of plants.


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## hauchinango

any idea how to take a cutting of an existing plant to transfer?


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## TXPalerider

hauchinango said:


> any idea how to take a cutting of an existing plant to transfer?


Never heard of doing that. If it was that easy, I would have done it years ago. The best way to get a "true" chiltepin pepper is to find one in the wild somewhere in South Texas and dig it up. Other than that, find somebody with a plant and get some seeds out of some peppers and start on you own. Of course that takes much longer.

I have about 12 plants started now that are about 6" tall. But, I've still got my eyes peeled anytime I'm in South Texas.


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## Timemachine

I grow them in my back yard. One day the "Tres Amigos" (my son and 2 nephews, all 7) got into them and were squishing them. One goes to the bathroom and come runnig out crying and screaming..."It burns".

Wash your hand after picking these nuclear chilis. Just saying


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## Joester

I have the same plant and it's as tall as the eaves on the house. The stalk is about 1.5" now and has been growing year round now three years. Friend of ours makes some great hot sauce with them. And yes, they are very hot!:brew:


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## FishinFoolFaron

My father tried for years to domesticate/transplant the wild ones into our garden in Goliad without success. They would seem to finish the season without producing and then die.
I found the seeds in a catalog from "Totally Tomatoes" and managed to get them to grow and produce in Michigan along with a lot of other things my mother told me would not grow there (including Bluebonnets). Mine were not near as hot as the wild ones.


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## TXPalerider

Joester said:


> I have the same plant and it's as tall as the eaves on the house. The stalk is about 1.5" now and has been growing year round now three years. Friend of ours makes some great hot sauce with them. And yes, they are very hot!:brew:


The best way I've found to eat them is:

Pick them and let them dry until they become brittle (a dehydrator will speed up the process, but it's not necessary), then put them in a blender and make a powder out of them. Put it in a spice shaker and use as a shake on anything you want to spice up. The flavor is awesome!! But, a little bit goes a LONG way.


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## boat_money

i have 6 large bushes that were "planted in my backyard by the mockingbirds that were eating my tomatoes. never done anything with them but dare the neighbors kids to eat 'em  i'll have to harvest some 2nite and try the drying and the worceshire thing...


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## speckle-catcher

My little pepper plant is hanging in there, I finally was able to get some peppers off of it before the birds did. 

but - in the process, I found that it has many of these orange bugs on it - what are they? are they bad, and if so - how do I kill them?


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## speckle-catcher

quick search and i think I found my answer:

juvenile of the leaf-footed bug: Leptoglossus phyllopus

http://bugguide.net/node/view/213890/bgpage


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## TXPalerider

speckle-catcher said:


> quick search and i think I found my answer:
> 
> juvenile of the leaf-footed bug: Leptoglossus phyllopus
> 
> http://bugguide.net/node/view/213890/bgpage


Doesn't sound good.


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## Fathead

speckle-catcher said:


> quick search and i think I found my answer:
> 
> juvenile of the leaf-footed bug: Leptoglossus phyllopus


Correct. They are on my tomato plants too. I spray w/neem oil weekly, but these require manual eradication. Fortunately I have a 9yr-old eradication specialist who lovest his job.


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## speckle-catcher

manual eradication? what method?

I think I read the Sevin Dust will work, and I have that at home.

I'm not going for organic - so I don't mind using a pesticide.


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## boat_money

try blue dawn dish soap mixed w/ water in a spray bottle...


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## KIKO

Pequin will grow in home gardens and chiltepin is wild and the only way that you will make it grow in a garden is if a bird dropped a seed. The reason for this is that the seeds have a coating that unless the brids intestins take it off, the seed will got germinate. 

Dad found a way to beat this and that it is by drying the chiles and crushing them with the molcajete (morter). The action in the rock will peel the coating on the chile allowing it to germinate. So after dad makes salsa on the molcajete, he cleans his molcajete in his garden to dorp the seeds. He gets a few pants per year, not all seeds gets peeled thru the process.


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## KIKO

*add chile pepers*

I would add hot petters such as the pequin itself or fresh jalapeños in the blender to the soap water mix and use the spray bottle method. Saw this on a "green" show and tried it on a lemon tree and it worked.



boat_money said:


> try blue dawn dish soap mixed w/ water in a spray bottle...


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## Gilbert

boat_money said:


> try blue dawn dish soap mixed w/ water in a spray bottle...





KIKO said:


> I would add hot petters such as the pequin itself or fresh jalapeños in the blender to the soap water mix and use the spray bottle method. Saw this on a "green" show and tried it on a lemon tree and it worked.


I'm going to try this. I got those little ugly things on my plants as well. I didn't know what they were.


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## Haute Pursuit

speckle-catcher said:


> manual eradication? what method?
> 
> I think I read the Sevin Dust will work, and I have that at home.
> 
> I'm not going for organic - so I don't mind using a pesticide.


Sevin will work. It kept the bastages off my tomatoes.


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## ONDABORDER

KIKO said:


> Pequin will grow in home gardens and chiltepin is wild and the only way that you will make it grow in a garden is if a bird dropped a seed. The reason for this is that the seeds have a coating that unless the brids intestins take it off, the seed will got germinate.
> 
> Dad found a way to beat this and that it is by drying the chiles and crushing them with the molcajete (morter). The action in the rock will peel the coating on the chile allowing it to germinate. So after dad makes salsa on the molcajete, he cleans his molcajete in his garden to dorp the seeds. He gets a few pants per year, not all seeds gets peeled thru the process.


Interesting! Thanks! Never heard of that.
:texasflag


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## jamesgreeson

PURTY IN TOE RESTING kiko,when i was a kid i rember those birdseye pepers,also they had a pepper i called a buckshot pepper.It was about the size of a china berry and mister it was verrree hot.ever seen one of those!


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## bobbyoshay

you can make a Tabasco type hot sauce by putting a bunch of them into a jar and filling with vinegar! it is awesome! when you run out of the liquid you can add more vinegar and you simply have some more. if you want it even hotter smash some up!


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## Maritime

For a cruel joke, pop one with your fingers and rub it on a buddies cigarette or around the lip of a beer can and watch him freak out. HAHA!!


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## seattleman1969

*Here is a quick guide to peppers for any interested:*

*C. annuum* _(meaning "annual", a misnomer, as peppers are actually perennials)_ 
This is by far the largest domesticated species, both in the number of different varieties, as well as the most widely cultivated worldwide. This species includes a wide range of pepper shapes, sizes and characteristics. Flowers are typically white but some varieties are purple, peppers most often ripen green to red, but come in a variety of other colors as well. Most of the peppers grow in the US and Mexico are of this species. They include many of the most common and best-known pepper varieties, such as *Jalapeno*, *Poblano/Ancho*, *Serrano*, *Cayenne*, *Bell Pepper*, *Peperoncini* and *Anaheim/NuMex Peppers*. This species also includes some of the more unique pepper varieties, such as the unusual *Peter Pepper*, as well as the magnificent *Bolivian Rainbow*. 

*C. baccatum* _(meaning "berry-like")_ 
This unusual species is grown primarily in South America, where it is referred to locally as _"Aji"_. Characterized by diffuse yellow or green spots on the base of the corolla lobes (flower petals). Plants are fairly tall for peppers, up to about 5 feet. The peppers can range in size from small berries for some wild varieties, to over a foot in length, are often brightly colored and quite flavorful. This species includes such peppers as the *Aji Amarillo*, *Aji Colorado*, *Aji Andean* and *Lemon Drop*. 

*C. chinense* _(meaning "from China", a misnomer, as they originated in the Amazon)_ 
This species includes some of the *world's hottest peppers*. Peppers in this species come in a wide variety of colors, and often have distinctive tropical flavors. They are characterized by multiple flowers per node, typically have an annular constriction where the pedicel meets the fruit, and crinkled leaves. Most peppers in this species are *extremely* hot (one notable exception to this rule is *Aji Dulce*, which has the habanero flavor but with little or no heat!) The flowers are typically small and white, with a fruity scent. While quite hot, these peppers can also show some of the greatest variance in heat levels based on environmental growing conditions and other factors (sometimes even between different peppers of the same plant!) This species includes the *Habanero*, *Scotch Bonnet*, *Datil*, *Fatalii*, and *Billy Goat*. 

*C. frutescens* _(meaning "bushy")_ 
Not as many varieties of this exists or are domestically grown as some of the other pepper species. They are characterized by compact growth, and can make good container plants. The peppers tend to grow upright rather than pendant and are usually red, orange or yellow. This species includes the world-famous *Tabasco Pepper*, as well as the *Zimbabwe Bird Pepper*, the *Cambodian Angkor Sunrise* and the *Brazilian Malagueta*. 


*C. pubescens* _(meaning "hairy")_ 
These rare peppers are characterized by "furry" leaves, as well as unusually-shaped black or dark brown seeds which are unique to this particular species. They grow primarily in the mountainous regions of Central and South America. They are used to temperate climates, and can be more cold-tolerant than some peppers, although some varieties off this species may not do well in high temperatures. The peppers are also unusual, thick-walled and often shaped like small apples or ovals, and come in red, yellow and orange colors, with flowers that are typically purple. With proper growing conditions, they can get quite tall, up to 9' or more! They also have a unique capsaicinoid content which gives them a different flavor and "heat" than other peppers, some varieties can seem to taste even hotter than a habanero! This species includes *Peruvian Rocotos*, *Bolivian Locotos* and *Mexican Manzanos*.


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