The pretty in purple pepper (Capsicum annuum) is an edible ornamental hot pepper with 60,000-80,000 SHUs (Scoville Heat Units). Since it’s not flavorless like other ornamental peppers, you can use it in cooking and gardening.
What Is A Pretty In Purple Pepper?
A pretty in purple pepper is a US-native ornamental chile pepper. It’s also called purple prince or pretty purple.
The pretty in purple pepper plant is around 24 inches (60.96 cm) and can spread up to 18 inches (45 cm). It is characterized by dark green leaves, dark purple stems, and flowers with eye-catching deep purple fruits that mature into orange and red peppers.
Peppers are oval-shaped and grow upright, facing the sun, to the size of about half an inch (about 1.2 cm). The flavor profile of the chilies is peppery with a bright, crisp taste.
Are Purple Peppers Edible?
Pretty purples are edible ornamental peppers. Unlike other ornamental peppers, such as Count Draculas or NuMex twilights, they don’t have a tasteless, bitter flavor.
Are Pretty In Purple Peppers Hot?
Pretty in purple chili peppers have 60,000-80,000 SHUs, which can be up to 40 times hotter than jalapeno peppers. Their heat level is closer to cayennes or tabasco peppers (both having 30,000-50,000 SHUs).
How To Use Pretty In Purple Peppers
You can use this purple pepper variety in the kitchen and the garden.
Since they have a heat level similar to cayenne peppers or tabasco peppers, use them in the same way you would these other medium-heat peppers. You can make your own fermented hot sauce, cook them down in your favorite picante sauce recipe, or chop them fresh in a colorful fruit salsa.
Gardening provides more options for pretty purple peppers. You can plant them in hanging baskets and keep them on your patio, put them in an herb or veggie garden, or combine them with other plants in container gardening.
Where To Buy Pretty In Purple Peppers
Although supermarkets don’t typically have pretty in purples, you may find mature plants for sale at a local retail greenhouse if there is one near you.
If that’s not the case, you can purchase heirloom pretty in purple seeds from online shops selling ornamental, sweet, and hot pepper seeds.
Shops that have black pearl, Bolivian rainbow, purple tiger, habanero, red biquinho, scotch bonnet (Capsicum chinense), and ghost pepper (bhut jolokia) seeds are likely to also have pretty in purple seeds.
How To Grow Pretty In Purple Peppers
Pretty in purple peppers fully mature in about 120 days. These pepper plants tolerate cold climates, winds, and dry soil, but seeds need daily watering and warm soil. The ideal germination temperature is 70 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 35 degrees Celsius).
Start growing peppers by sowing seeds half an inch (1.27 cm) deep in small plastic containers. Remember to cover them with a bit more soil and water them. Avoid biodegradable pots and potting soils. Instead, you can enrich the soil by adding a seed starting mix.
Under optimal conditions, germination lasts from a week to a month. Plant seedlings in areas that receive full sun exposure, with a 24 to 36 inches (60 to about 90 cm) spacing.