Ornamental Peppers Guide: The Bold And The Colorful

Chili peppers aren’t only for eating. Ornamental peppers are grown for their looks, and they’re among the brightest plants you can put in a garden, with pods in purple, black, cream, yellow, orange and red, often on the same plant at once. Most stay compact, so they’re great for container gardening as well as beds and borders. Here are the ones we’ve profiled, from sweet peppers with no real heat to chilies as hot as a Thai pepper, with what each one looks like, how hot it gets and whether it’s worth cooking with.

Ornamental peppers at a glance

We’ve collected everything below in one place, sorted from mildest to hottest on the Scoville scale. The third column shows how each pepper compares with a jalapeño, and the last one tells you what you’ll see on the plant.

Pepper	Heat (SHU)	Compared with a jalapeño	On the plant
Tangerine Dream	0 to 100	Much milder	3 inches, slim; green to orange
Chilly Chili	1 to 100	Much milder	2 to 3 inches; yellow, orange, red
Sedona Sun	0 to 1,000	Much milder	Tiny cones; purple, yellow, orange, red
Medusa	1 to 1,000	Much milder	2 inches, twisting; ivory, yellow, orange, red
Fire and Ice	1,000 to 5,000	About half as hot	3 to 4 inches; white, yellow, orange, red
Hot Pops Yellow	1,000 to 5,000	About half as hot	½ inch, round; yellow, orange, red
NuMex Centennial	1,000 to 5,000	About half as hot	1 inch, bulb-shaped; purple, yellow, orange, red
Sangria	1,000 to 5,000	About half as hot	2 to 3 inches; white, yellow, orange, red, purple
Pretty in Purple	4,000 to 8,000	About the same	½ inch; purple, yellow, orange, red
Purple Tiger	5,000 to 10,000	About 1½ times hotter	Up to 1 inch; green, striped purple, red
Black Prince	5,000 to 30,000	About 3 times hotter	⅓ to ⅔ inch; purple-black to red
Count Dracula	5,000 to 30,000	About 3 times hotter	Up to 2 inches; black to red
Royal Black	5,000 to 30,000	About 3 times hotter	Up to 1 inch; purple, black, red
Black Pearl	10,000 to 30,000	About 4 times hotter	½ to 1 inch, round; black to red
Bolivian Rainbow	10,000 to 30,000	About 4 times hotter	1 inch, cone-shaped; purple, yellow, orange, red
Inca Red Drop	10,000 to 30,000	About 4 times hotter	½ inch, teardrop; green, orange, red
Loco	15,000 to 30,000	About 4 times hotter	1 to 2 inches across, round; purple, yellow, orange, red
Little Elf	20,000 to 30,000	About 5 times hotter	½ inch, cone-shaped; green, yellow, orange, purple, red
Black Cobra	20,000 to 40,000	About 6 times hotter	3 inches, slim; green, black, red
Purple UFO	30,000 to 45,000	About 7 times hotter	1½ to 2 inches, saucer-shaped; violet, near-black, red
Aji omnicolor	30,000 to 50,000	About 8 times hotter	2 to 3 inches; pale yellow, orange, red
Aurora	30,000 to 50,000	About 8 times hotter	1½ to 2 inches, bulb-shaped; green, violet, orange, red
Buena Mulata	30,000 to 50,000	About 8 times hotter	6 to 7 inches; purple, orange, brown, red
Explosive Ember	30,000 to 50,000	About 8 times hotter	1 inch, cone-shaped; purple to orange-red
Filius Blue	30,000 to 50,000	About 8 times hotter	1 inch, cone-shaped; blue-purple, orange, red
NuMex Twilight	30,000 to 50,000	About 8 times hotter	1 inch; purple, yellow, orange, red
Rooster spur	30,000 to 50,000	About 8 times hotter	Up to 2 inches, claw-shaped; green to red
Super Chili	40,000 to 50,000	About 9 times hotter	2 to 3 inches, slim; green, orange, red
Black Cuban	40,000 to 58,000	About 9 times hotter	1 inch, cone-shaped; black to red
Calico	50,000 to 70,000	About 11 times hotter	1 to 2 inches; black to red
Prairie fire	70,000 to 80,000	About 14 times hotter	1 inch, bulb-shaped; green, purple, cream, yellow, orange, red

What makes a pepper ornamental?

An ornamental pepper is one that’s grown mostly for its looks. Many of the ones below are compact plants with small pods that stand up above the leaves, and many ripen at different times, so you’ll see three or four colors on one plant. Some add dark or variegated leaves and purple flowers. They’re the same species as the peppers you cook with: almost all are Capsicum annuum, and two, the aji omnicolor and Inca Red Drop, are Capsicum baccatum from Peru.

Can you eat ornamental peppers?

Yes. All ornamental peppers are edible, but since they’re grown for their looks, flavor usually comes second. Many just taste peppery, and some can’t shake a bitter edge. The heat’s what surprises people. About seven in ten of the peppers here are hotter than a jalapeño, and plenty match a cayenne, so if kids might pick them, stick to the mild ones at the top of this list. A few, like the aji omnicolor, Purple UFO and Black Pearl, taste good enough that you’ll want to cook with them.

Mild ornamental peppers

These have little or no heat, so they’re the ones to grow if kids or heat-shy eaters will be around the garden.

Tangerine Dream peppers

The Tangerine Dream is the ornamental you’ll want if you plan to eat what you grow. It’s about as mild as a bell pepper, with a sweet flavor, and its thin, 3-inch pods grow straight up, ripening from green to a jewel-toned orange. You can use them in summer salads, sweet sauces and pickles.

Chilly Chili peppers

The Chilly Chili was bred so you’d get the ornamental look without the heat. Its 2- to 3-inch pods stand upright in bunches and ripen from pale yellow through orange to red, so a single bunch can show every color. The flavor’s simple and peppery, so it’s better as a splash of color in a green salad or a garnish than as a cooking chili.

Sedona Sun peppers

The Sedona Sun grows tiny, cone-shaped pods in clusters. They start purple and ripen through golden yellow and orange to red, like a desert sunset. It’s mild, and there’s some sweetness once the pods turn red. Younger ones can taste a little bitter, so you’ll want to pick them ripe for salsas, salads and pickling.

Medusa peppers

The Medusa pepper is named for its look: dozens of thin, twisting 2-inch pods stand up from the plant like a head of snakes, ripening from ivory to yellow, orange and red. The plant won’t grow much past a foot tall, so it’s a great pick for a small pot. At most it’s about as hot as a poblano, and it’s sweet, so you can use it like a bell pepper.

Medium-heat ornamental peppers

These run from about a jalapeño’s heat up to a serrano’s, and a few reach the bottom of the cayenne range, so you’ll want to taste one before you toss in a handful.

Fire and Ice peppers

The Fire and Ice pepper gets its name from its colors. Its 3- to 4-inch conical pods start creamy white and ripen to red, passing through yellow and orange, and you’ll often see all of them on one plant. It’s mild to low-medium in heat, with a crisp texture and a slightly sweet taste, so it works fresh in salads and sandwiches.

Hot Pops Yellow peppers

The Hot Pops Yellow is tiny all around, and that’s the appeal. The plant grows about 5 inches tall and 8 wide, small enough for a sunny windowsill, and its round pods are only about half an inch across, in yellow, orange and red. It’s about as hot as a jalapeño, but the flavor’s plain and a bit bitter, so you’re better off using it as a garnish.

NuMex Centennial

The NuMex Centennial comes from New Mexico State University. Its pods are about an inch long, bulb-shaped like a pequin and tapering to a point, and they ripen from purple to yellow, orange and red against purple leaves and flowers. It’s about as hot as a jalapeño, with a bright, slightly bitter flavor, and it’ll add color and a little heat to salads and soups.

Sangria peppers

The Sangria pepper is about as colorful as a pepper plant gets, with pods in white, yellow, orange, red and purple all at once. They’re 2 to 3 inches long and slim like a cayenne, and they grow in upright clusters, so the plant can be the focal point of a bed. The heat’s mild, but the flavor’s plain and a little bitter, so you’ll mostly use it to add color to a salsa.

Pretty in Purple peppers

The Pretty in Purple lives up to its name. Its half-inch pods ripen from purple to yellow, orange and red on purple-tinged stems, among green and purple leaves, with violet flowers in early summer. The compact plant bears heavily, so it suits containers. With about a jalapeño’s heat, it’ll stand in for one in salsa when you don’t need the jalapeño’s grassy flavor.

Purple Tiger peppers

The Purple Tiger is as much about its leaves as its peppers. The foliage is streaked with green, white and purple, and the pods, up to an inch long, start green, turn purple with stripes and ripen to red. It runs from a jalapeño’s heat to about four times hotter, with a light, fruity sweetness, so it’s an easy swap for red jalapeños.

Black Prince peppers

The Black Prince has tiny pods, a third to two-thirds of an inch long, cone-shaped and purple-black before they ripen to red. You might confuse it with the Black Pearl, but the Black Pearl’s pods are round. They don’t cluster, so the plant works better as an accent than a centerpiece. You can chop them into a salsa for color and heat, but they won’t add much flavor.

Count Dracula peppers

If you want a Halloween pepper, the Count Dracula is it. Its leaves are nearly black, its flowers are purple, and its 2-inch conical pods ripen from black to crimson. It’ll sometimes get hotter than a serrano, up to the bottom of the cayenne range, with a plain peppery taste, so it’s the one to use when the look matters, like a dark Halloween salsa.

Royal Black peppers

The Royal Black is another dark beauty, and it’s a compact plant, about 2 feet tall. Its pods, up to an inch long, start purple, turn deep black and ripen to crimson, and its leaves are greenish-black on top. The flavor’s neutral, but with at least a jalapeño’s heat, it’s a good heat source for your pickles, soups and salsas.

Black Pearl peppers

The Black Pearl comes with a pedigree. USDA researchers bred it, and it won an All-America Selections award in 2006. Its leaves run from deep purple to black, and its small, round, glossy pods start black and ripen to red. It’s about as hot as a serrano, with a light, sweet, slightly citrusy flavor, so it’s one of the tastier ornamentals to chop into a salsa.

Bolivian Rainbow peppers

The Bolivian Rainbow looks like a string of holiday lights. Each plant carries dozens of inch-long, cone-shaped pods in purple, yellow, orange and red at once, and in warm climates it can keep producing all year. It’s about as hot as a serrano, and the flavor’s crisp and a little grassy, like a bell pepper. It’s the colors you’ll notice in a fresh salsa or a jar of pickles.

Inca Red Drop peppers

The Inca Red Drop is a Peruvian baccatum with half-inch, teardrop-shaped pods that taper to a little tail, ripening from green to orange and red. It isn’t as colorful as many ornamentals, but it’s got a fruity flavor you’ll like and a bit more heat than a jalapeño. It’s great fresh in salsa, in place of a red jalapeño or pickled.

Loco peppers

The Loco pepper comes from England. It grows small, round pods 1 to 2 inches across in clusters on a plant up to 1½ feet tall, and they ripen from purple to yellow, orange and red. The flavor’s slightly sweet but mostly peppery, and the heat’s the main event, so you’ll want to dice it into salsas and marinades, or dry it and grind it.

Little Elf peppers

The Little Elf stays under a foot tall but spreads wide, so it makes a good low hedge, and it’ll grow on a sunny sill, too. Its half-inch, cone-shaped pods come in clusters of green, yellow, orange, purple and red, like holiday bulbs. There’s a little earthiness to the flavor, and with a serrano’s heat or a bit more, it’s good in smoky salsas, hearty soups and stews.

Cayenne-hot ornamental peppers

Most of these share the cayenne pepper’s 30,000 to 50,000 SHU range, so you can treat them like cayennes in the kitchen.

Black Cobra peppers

The Black Cobra, also called goat’s weed, grows slim 3-inch pods straight up from the plant like fingers. They ripen from green to jet black to red, and the stems and leaves are covered in fine silvery hairs. It’s bitter at every stage, so you’ll get more from it dried and ground into flakes or powder than eaten fresh.

Purple UFO peppers

The Purple UFO looks like a 1950s flying saucer: a round pod with a flattened, disc-like middle, about 1½ to 2 inches long. It starts bright violet, darkens to near-black and ripens to ruby red, and the inside stays purplish. It’s close to a cayenne in heat, with a sweet, fruity, slightly tangy flavor, so it’s good in salads and salsas and great pickled.

Aji omnicolor

The aji omnicolor stands out for its soft colors. Its slim, pendant-shaped pods, 2 to 3 inches long, ripen from pale yellow, almost white, through yellow and orange to red, and in strong sun they can take on a light purple tint. It’s tasty, too, sweet and fruity, as long as you can handle the heat. It’s terrific in fruit salsas, hot sauces and pickles.

Aurora peppers

The aurora pepper is named for the northern lights, and it’s easy to see why. Its bulb-shaped pods, 1½ to 2 inches long and about ¾ inch across, stand upright in clusters and ripen from green to creamy violet, then orange and red. The flavor’s neutral, so you’re growing it for the colors, though it’s still fun in a summer salsa.

Buena Mulata peppers

The Buena Mulata is an heirloom shaped like a cayenne, 6 to 7 inches long, so it’s the biggest pepper on this list. What sets it apart is its color change: purple, then pinkish-yellow, orange, brown and finally red. It’s as hot as a cayenne but sweeter, and it gets sweeter as it ripens, so it’s great for pickling or for drying into a sweeter crushed red pepper.

Explosive Ember peppers

The Explosive Ember grows inch-long, cone-shaped pods upright in bunches. They start a near-metallic purple and ripen to an ember-like orange-red, against dark leaves and purple flowers. The plant’s slim, so it fits a container. The red pods have a simple sweetness, more than you’d expect from an ornamental, but with a cayenne’s heat, they’re good in salsa or dried into a fiery powder.

Filius Blue peppers

Blue’s rare among peppers, and the Filius Blue has it. Its pods are about an inch long and conical, ripening from indigo blue and purple to orange and red, and the plant grows 1 to 2 feet tall with purple and white flowers. The flavor’s simple, like a bell pepper’s, with a cayenne’s heat, so you can use it in salsas and sauces.

NuMex Twilight

The NuMex Twilight is the NuMex Centennial’s hotter cousin. Its inch-long pods start purple and ripen through yellow and orange to red, and they stay on the plant long enough that you’ll see every color at once. It’s as hot as a cayenne, and the flavor’s salty at first, then bitter, so it’s trickier to cook with than the others here. It’ll still brighten a salsa or a jar of pickles.

Rooster spur peppers

The rooster spur pepper is named for its shape: slim, curved pods up to 2 inches long and a quarter inch wide, like the spur on a rooster’s leg. They grow upright in clusters, and they’re green before they ripen to red. It’s an heirloom popular in the Southern U.S., with a quick, sharp heat and a fresh peppery flavor, a bit more than many ornamentals have. Use it the way you’d use Thai chilies.

Super Chili peppers

The Super Chili looks a lot like the rooster spur, with slim, cayenne-shaped pods 2 to 3 inches long that stand up above the leaves, ripening from green through orange to ruby red. It’s a little hotter, though, and the flavor’s mostly heat. You’ll want it where other flavors lead, like Thai dishes, hot sauces and pickles.

Black Cuban peppers

The Black Cuban is dark from top to bottom, with purplish-black leaves and stems, purple flowers and inch-long conical pods that ripen from black to red. The compact plant does well in containers, and it’ll come indoors for winter if it gets enough sun. It’s hot, at the top of the cayenne range, so pickle it, chop it into salsa or dry it for chili powder.

The Chinese five-color pepper belongs in this group too, at the same 30,000 to 50,000 SHU. Its inch-long, cone-shaped pods run from purple to cream, then yellow, orange and red, on a plant with dark foliage, and it’s got more flavor than you’d expect from an ornamental.

Extra-hot ornamental peppers

These two run hotter than any cayenne, into Thai pepper territory.

Calico peppers

The Calico pepper is the one you’d grow for its leaves. They’re green, splashed with purple and cream, and they nearly steal the show from the pods, which are 1 to 2 inches long and ripen from black to red. The pods spread out around the plant without clustering, so it’s a good supporting plant in a bigger bed. It’s about as hot as a milder Thai pepper, and the flavor’s mostly heat.

Prairie fire peppers

The prairie fire pepper, also called the Christmas pepper, is the hottest ornamental here, about as hot as a Thai pepper. Its inch-long, bulb-shaped pods look like Christmas lights, and the bushy plant can carry green, purple, cream, yellow, orange and red ones at once. There’s a short-lived fruity tang behind the heat, more flavor than many ornamentals have, and it’ll make the most colorful salsa you’ve ever had.

Which ornamental pepper should you grow?

That depends on what you want from the plant, and whether you’ll eat the peppers.

• For a mild, kid-friendly garden: Tangerine Dream, Chilly Chili or Medusa.
• For flavor: Aji omnicolor, Purple UFO, Inca Red Drop or Black Pearl.
• For dark, dramatic looks: Black Pearl, Count Dracula or Black Cuban.
• For the most color: Bolivian Rainbow, Sangria or prairie fire.
• For a windowsill: Hot Pops Yellow or Little Elf.
• For striking leaves: Calico or Purple Tiger.

Related reading

• Colorful Peppers Guide: Rainbows Of The Scoville Scale: Peppers that ripen through a rainbow of colors, ornamental and culinary.
• Black Peppers Guide: Dramatic Looks For Kitchen And Garden: More dark-podded chilies, for the garden and the plate.
• Purple Peppers Guide: Royal Shades For Plate And Garden: Purple chilies and sweet peppers, from mild to hot.