Chiltepin or Piquin?

system Chile Varieties Leave a Comment

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Q:  Dear Dave,

I have a pepper plant growing in a pot I got from my mother-in-law. I want to say its a chiltepin since I saw a picture of what looked like the same plant on www.chileplants.com, but someone told me that it was a piquin.  Is there a difference between these peppers or are they the same thing?  I saw on a Scoville units chart that they are both listed, with the chiltepin being hotter.  How can I tell the difference between the two?  The peppers are an orange-red color when they ripen.  Also how long do the peppers take to turn color?

Thanks,

D. Valentine

                                                                                          

A:  Hello D. Valentine:

Chiltepins have spherical pods and piquins have elongated pods.  In these plants, the smaller the pod, the hotter it is.  The ripening time from green to red varies after the green pod has reached its maximum size, but it’s usually 2 to 4 weeks.

–Dave

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