Fatalii pepper plants

Citrus, then a habanero-plus heat. Not on the list right now.

By Debra Austin

Species: Capsicum chinense

The citrus chinense from Africa

Fatalii is a Capsicum chinense associated with the Central African Republic. The ripe pod is usually yellow, wrinkled, and lantern-shaped, and the flavor is a hard citrus note in front of serious heat. It is not a lemon drop. Lemon drop is a baccatum and it is milder. The confusion is the word citrus.

We do not have a fatalii listed. If the name shows up on a future plant, this is where it will go.

How hot a fatalii is

Published figures usually sit between about 125,000 and 400,000 SHU, habanero heat and sometimes past it. That number is from the public record, not from a fatalii we grew this year. Our yellow scotch bonnet is listed at 100,000 to 350,000 if you want a chinense in that band. The lemon drop is listed at 10,000 to 50,000 if you want the citrus more than the burn.

Sauces and salsas

Fatalii is a sauce pepper. The citrus survives vinegar better than a generic superhot's flavor does. People also eat a sliver raw and then decide not to do that again. Use a lemon drop when you want the fruit and a meal people finish. Use a bonnet when you want the chinense burn.

Growing fatalii

Warmth and time, like other chinenses. Yellow pods are ripe yellow, not unripe. A plant kept cool and dark will give you green pods and a disappointed sauce.

Closest plants we grow

Questions people ask

Do you sell fatalii plants?

No. The closest plants we have are Aji Lemon Drop, which is milder and a different species, and a yellow scotch bonnet.

How hot is a fatalii?

Published ranges are about 125,000 to 400,000 SHU. We are not quoting our own measurement.

Is fatalii the same as a lemon drop?

No. Fatalii is a chinense. Lemon drop is a baccatum. They share a citrus smell and not much else.