Datil pepper plants

St. Augustine's pepper. We are not growing one this round.

By Debra Austin

Species: Capsicum chinense

A Florida chinense

The datil is a Capsicum chinense tied to St. Augustine, Florida, and to the Minorcan community there. The pod is small, wrinkled, and pointed, and the flavor is sweeter than a standard habanero. It is not a date, and it is not a scotch bonnet, though a bonnet is the plant most likely to stand in for it.

We do not currently list a datil. This page is the note for anyone who searched the name.

How hot a datil is

The usual published band is about 100,000 to 300,000 SHU, the same room as a habanero, with a sweeter front. That is not a measurement from our nursery. Our habaneros and scotch bonnets are both listed at 100,000 to 350,000, which is why they are the honest substitutes.

Datil sauce and pepper jelly

The local use is a sweet hot sauce and a jelly, mustard optional. The sweetness is in the pod already, so recipes add sugar on top of a pepper that was never harsh. If you are cooking that style with what we grow, use a yellow scotch bonnet or a habanero and keep the sugar where the recipe put it.

Growing datil plants

Same as any chinense that wants a warm, long season. St. Augustine can grow them outdoors for most of the year. A lot of the rest of the country cannot. A five gallon pot and real warmth are the requirements. When we have a plant, the title match will put it on this page.

Closest plants we grow

Questions people ask

Do you sell datil pepper plants?

Not currently. The nearest plants we grow are scotch bonnets and habaneros.

How hot is a datil pepper?

The commonly published range is about 100,000 to 300,000 SHU. We have not measured one here this season.

Is a datil a habanero?

Same species, different selection. Datils are smaller and sweeter. They are not interchangeable if a recipe is picky, and they are the right neighborhood if a recipe is not.