Cumari pepper plants

A Brazilian species most seed packets file under the wrong name.

By Debra Austin

Species: Capsicum praetermissum

Cumari is its own species

The cumaris we grow are Capsicum praetermissum, a Brazilian species with purple-tinged flowers and small pods. They are not baccatums and they are not chiltepins, even though a casual photo looks like a wild annuum. Cumari Alongado Orange and Cumari Fragilis are the two listings.

Alongado means elongated. Fragilis is the other selection. Both are cumari. If a packet says cumari and the flower is plain white, it is probably something else.

How hot cumari gets

Both plants are listed at 30,000 to 200,000 SHU. That is a wide band on purpose. Praetermissum heat moves with the plant and the season, and the pod is small enough that people underestimate it. It belongs with the hot peppers, not with the ornamentals.

Using the pods

In Brazil cumari goes into vinegar, butter, and a finished plate of beans or meat, a few pods at a time. Dry them if you have more than you can eat. They are not a stuffing pepper and they are not a mild snack.

Growing praetermissum

Give them warmth and do not rush germination if you ever start seed. A live plant is the easier way in. They stay more compact than a sugar rush. A five gallon pot is enough. Bring them in before a frost if you want the same plant next year. Wild-type species are perennial when they are allowed to be.

The Cumari we grow

Questions people ask

What species is cumari?

The plants we grow are Capsicum praetermissum. That is not the same as Capsicum baccatum, and it is not a chiltepin.

How hot is a cumari pepper?

Cumari Alongado Orange and Cumari Fragilis are both listed at 30,000 to 200,000 SHU.

Is cumari the same as cumari do para?

Cumari do Pará is a name used for a small Brazilian chinense. The plants on this page are praetermissum. Read the species before you assume the recipe matches.