Description
This is a Very Special Plant let alone Chilli Plant. Original Seed was taken with permission from the Galapagos Islands where this plant had grown for who knows in isolation. Closely related to the original strains of Chillies from the South Americas with suspected Ecuador as its birth place and resembles its origins of being a Shrubbery Berry Plant
I was very excited about growing this plant and I am very proud in doing so. As you can see from the pictures the stems and branches are all covered in micro hairs which are to protect it from windy conditions, this produces a soft feeling plant which includes the leaves. The leaves are very small in comparison to modern types but still chilli shaped
Grows in the standard way with splitting early, but instead of growing outwards which is a modern characteristic of chilli plants, it makes great strides to grow to its desired height of around 5 foot as soon as possible. Only then does it grow outwards, and with enough sun it will grow outwards, over 4 foot square. Producing Pods in huge numbers - BUT please note this is if the conditions are right, it likes a windy sunny location. You will have to be quick to catch the pods though as they are prone to drop off as soon as they mature - another sign of huge survival instincts
HOWEVER, one of the most intriguing characteristics of this plant is its aroma; if you gently shake the branches and kneeling down you will suddenly get a smell of chilli in the air. This Blew Me Away!
Nobody knows why the plant does it, popular theory is attraction of pollinating insects, but it is so special in the Chilli World! Pods are edible but do not taste good, but do have lots of heat - Habanero plus! Seeds can be difficult to germinate and take 4-12 weeks to crack - ideally in a controlled heated propagator at around 21-24c
As with all wild chilli plants it can take several seasons before you start to see a decent plant and pods, depending on the sun levels in the UK, the more sun the quicker the growth cycle will occur, but be prepared to over winter these plants.
Plus we will always be available to get advice from over the entire length of the plant life and then some. All our seeds are processed and stored in a clean and proper environment to maximise Germination. All our seeds are tested for germination rates and meet a 70% min pass rate
