Rocoto Long

Description

Capsicum pubescens

Somewhat uncommon, rocoto chillies belong to the species Capsicum pubescens. They are renown for their hairy leaves and stems, purple flowers and dark purple seeds that look black. Their plants are tall and spreading and produce fruit late in the season.

If you wish to grow a rocoto, then Rocoto Long is a good one to try. It has very hot fruit that mature from green to red. They are shaped like elongated cones and measure 2.5 x 5.5cm. The flesh is medium-thick and exudes a distinctive floral aroma when the fruit are cut open.

The tall plants easily reach 1.8 metres in width. They should be given lots of space and grown either in the ground or large pots 10 to 15 litres in size. Unfortunately, they are top heavy and tend to fall over unless given strong support.

Heat level: very hot (approx. 60,000 SHU)
For information on Scoville Heat Units and what they mean click here.

Approximate number of seeds per pack: 15