Chili Bonsai pepper (Capsicum annuum) - live plant

• A live, rooted plant
• Ornamental and edible chilli, to grow in a pot
• Packaging suited to live plants

Capsicum annuum var. minimum covers the peppers with very small fruits. This cultivar forms a dense, branching bush 30 to 40 cm tall, with fine, closely packed foliage that really does give it the look of a bonsai.

The fruits, 1 to 2 cm long, point up towards the sky rather than hanging, and go through a whole range of colours as they ripen, from green to purplish, then orange and bright red. A single plant carries several stages at once, which is what makes it so decorative.

They are distinctly hot despite their size.

Full sun is the main requirement: in insufficient light, it flowers little and fruits poorly. Free-draining compost, regular watering without excess, moderate feeding during the fruiting period.

It is not frost-hardy. Grown as an annual, or brought indoors in a pot to a bright room, it can start again the following year: peppers are in fact perennials in mild climates.

Pinch out the first central flower to get a bushier, more productive plant.

Is it really hot?
Yes, decidedly hot. The small size of the fruits has nothing to do with their intensity.

Can it be kept from one year to the next?
Yes. Brought in somewhere frost-free and bright and watered very sparingly, it starts again in spring and often produces more in its second year.

Why are my fruits purple?
It is a normal ripening stage for this cultivar. They will turn orange and then red.

Is it suitable indoors?
Yes, in front of a very bright window. Without direct sun, expect a smaller crop.

Also worth exploring: our aromatic and edible plants and our rare plants.