Scorpion pepper plants

A tail on the pod, and heat in the same room as a Reaper.

By Debra Austin

Species: Capsicum chinense

What the scorpion name covers

Scorpion, in peppers, means a Capsicum chinense with a pointed tail. Trinidad is where the famous ones were selected. Moruga is a district, and the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion is the line New Mexico State measured around 1.2 million SHU in 2012. Butch T is another Trinidad selection. The names get pasted onto anything with a tail.

On our shelf the word scorpion is on Trinidad Scorpion Moruga Yellow and Black Tongue Scorpion. Sweet Moruga does not have scorpion in the name, so it stays on the 7 Pot page. A ghost is not a scorpion. A Reaper has a tail too, and it has its own page.

How hot the scorpions we grow are

Trinidad Scorpion Moruga Yellow is listed at 500,000 to 1,200,000 SHU. Black Tongue Scorpion is listed at 1,200,000 to 2,000,000. Both are superhot. A season of cool weather will pull a pod down. It will not make it mild. Wear gloves. Do not touch your face.

What they are actually for

Sauce. One pod seasons a lot of vinegar and fruit. The flavor under the heat is fruity, which is why a scorpion sauce tastes like more than burn if the maker used the whole pod and not an extract. These are a bad choice for a first hot pepper. Start with a habanero if you want chinense flavor at a survivable heat.

Growing a scorpion plant

Long-season chinense. Slow to germinate, slow to flower, hungry for warmth, and it wants a five gallon pot at a minimum. Expect months, not weeks, before a ripe pod. The tail shows up as the pod finishes. A green pod is not ready to judge.

The Scorpion we grow

Questions people ask

How hot is a Trinidad scorpion?

The yellow Moruga we list is 500,000 to 1,200,000 SHU. Black Tongue Scorpion is listed at 1,200,000 to 2,000,000.

Is a Moruga the same as a scorpion?

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion is both: a 7 Pot type from Moruga, and a scorpion because of the tail. The names overlap. Pod shape alone does not settle a mixed-up seed packet.

Is a scorpion hotter than a Carolina Reaper?

Some pods measure in the same range. A Reaper's certified average is about 1.64 million. Individual plants move around with the season. Both are superhot. Neither is a snack.