Capsicum annuum var. aviculare Common Names include Tepín Pepper, Chile Tepín, Chile Petín, Bird Pepper, Turkey Pepper Chile Tepín is Native to the Sonoran Desert in the Southwest USA, hugging the borders of Mexico and parts of Texas and Arizona, as well as Central and South America. It’s often treasured as the original version of the chili varieties we enjoy today. These tiny peppers typically reach about 1 cm in size, while the Tepín pepper plants usually stand tall at around 120 cm in their natural habitat, thriving under shade. However, when cultivated, they tend to be smaller and need a little more time to mature—up to 200 days—making them perfect for a warm windowsill harvest even during winter. The flowers that precede the peppers attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths, and other insects. The Tepín pepper has a rich history, having been cherished for over 9,000 years and considered sacred by many Native American tribes. Although it might have a lower Scoville rating, you’ll quickly feel its delightful heat as soon as you taste it, which fades away swiftly but leaves a memorable zing in your mouth for a little while. Birds often feed on the peppers, as they are immune to the heat, and help disperse the seeds by doing so. Most mammals avoid eating the peppers due to their sensitivity to the pepper’s heat, with the exception of humans as we have developed a taste for them, and occasionally, in the wild, coyotes, who are opportunistic omnivorous survivors. BONAP MAP Height: 2'Spread: 2'Bloom: May-NovemberLight: Full Sun-Full ShadeWater: LowZone: 8-9Origin: Texas, Southwest US, Mexico, Central & South America
