Native Plant Database

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual , Perennial
Habit: Herb
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Size Class: 1-3 ft.
Size Notes: 1-3
Fruit Color: green turning red when ripe

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White
Bloom Time: May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct

Distribution

USA: AL , AZ , CT , FL , GA , HI , LA , MD , NY , NC , PA , SC , TX , UT , VA
Native Habitat: On ledges along rivers, in thickets and groves and along arroyos on the Edwards Plateau and in South Texas. Well drained sand, loam, clay, caliche, limestone.
USDA Native Status: L48(NI), HI(I), PR(I), VI(I)

Growing Conditions

Water Use: Low
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
Cold Tolerant: yes
Heat Tolerant: yes
Soil Description: clay, heavy clay, sandy loam
Conditions Comments: The Chile pequin is a much sought after perennial native hot pepper that is well behaved in the garden. It is an easy to grow favorite that the birds will also appreciate. Chile pequins will grow with sun or shade and respond to good care with more growth and fruits. The fruits are edilble and on the hot side as a seasoning. Beautiful when used in mass plantings.
Texas comments: Chile pequin is a much sought after perennial, native hot pepper that is well behaved in the garden. It is an easy to grow favorite that the birds will also appreciate. It will grow with sun or shade and respond to good care with more growth and fruits. The fruits are edible and on the hot side. It is beautiful when used in mass plantings.

Benefit

Use Food: cooking with fruit
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Attracts: Birds
Nectar Source: yes
Deer Resistant: High

Propagation

Propagation Material: Seeds
Description: Take cuttings throughout summer or start seeds in late winter in a greenhouse setting.
Seed Treatment: Completely dry ripened fruits in a cool dry area and then break out the fresh seed and store in a dry, refrigerated setting until ready to plant
Commercially Avail: yes
Maintenance: Can be pruned to shape or to control height. Mild winter will not freeze them to the ground but it can be helpful to prune the back anyway to refresh if the plant is several years old.

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Mr. Smarty Plants says

Question: Hello, I am a chef from Buenos Aires Argentina visiting Austin, Texas and would like to learn about native, edible plants in the region. Please let me know if there are any native, edible plants and if they grow wild, I can harvest them myself, or if there is a place I can purchase them. thanks, salud!!
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Question: I live in Driftwood and am looking for flowering, deer-resistant plants for the northern side of my house; however the house turn just enough to the west that the flowerbed receives about 3 hours of afternoon sun (just enough to really cook them about August). Do you have any suggestions?
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From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Fredericksburg Nature Center - Fredericksburg, TX
Texas Discovery Gardens - Dallas, TX
Tohono Chul Park, Inc. - Tucson, AZ
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX
Native Plant Society of Texas - Fredericksburg, TX

Bibliography

* Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by Region (2002) Wasowski, S. & A. Wasowski

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Capsicum annuum in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Capsicum annuum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Capsicum annuum