Bhut Jolokia (Ghost Pepper)
Open-pollinated pepper · Capsicum chinense
- Breeding
- Open-pollinated
- Growth habit
- -
- Days to maturity
- 100-120 days
- Fruit
- red
- Weight
- -
- Bred by
- -
Also known as
| Name | Kind | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ghost Pepper | Trade name | The English-language market name. |
| Naga Jolokia | Synonym |
Commonly confused with
These are different varieties. A name shared between them does not make them the same seed.
- different variety
Naga Morich
Closely related and often sold interchangeably, but they are separate landraces with different pod shape.
- different variety
Dorset Naga
Derived from Naga Morich stock, not from Bhut Jolokia, though all three are sold as 'Naga'.
- different variety
Bhut Jolokia Chocolate
A separate colour form kept as its own line, not the red Bhut Jolokia.
Origin & history
From Assam and neighboring states in northeast India, and the first pepper confirmed above one million Scoville units, certified by Guinness in 2007. Genetic work shows it is largely Capsicum chinense with an interspecific contribution, which is why its classification has been argued over.
Measurements
| Measurement | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Days to maturity | 100-120 days | Consensus range across the cited sources, which include both independent references and commercial catalogs. |
| Scoville heat | 800,000-1,050,000 SHU | Measured at one million Scoville heat units in replicated trials at Las Cruces. RAPD analysis in the same study confirms C. chinense with probable genetic introgression from C. frutescens, so the species assignment here is a simplification of a hybrid origin. |
Traits
Disease resistance
No documented disease resistance, typical of heirlooms and older open-pollinated varieties. See pepper diseases for the cultural playbook that fills the gap.
Related varieties
- open-pollinated
7 Pot Brain Strain
100-120 days
- open-pollinated
7 Pot Douglah
100-120 days
- open-pollinated
7 Pot Primo
100-130 days
- open-pollinated
7 Pot Yellow
100-130 days
- open-pollinated
Bhut Jolokia Chocolate
100-130 days
- open-pollinated
Carolina Reaper
90-120 days
Explore all pepper varieties · compare any two · when to plant it where you are
Sources & References
Evidence: 5 sources, including 4 independent references.
- Chile Pepper Institute research and variety releases · New Mexico State University, University or Government
- Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog · Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co., Seed Catalog
- Peppers: Vegetable and Spice Capsicums · CABI (2012), Scholarly Reference
- 'Bhut Jolokia' - The World's Hottest Known Chile Pepper is a Putative Naturally Occurring Interspecific Hybrid · HortScience 42(2):222-224 (2007), Peer-Reviewed
- 'Trinidad Moruga Scorpion' Pepper is the World's Hottest Measured Chile Pepper at More Than Two Million Scoville Heat Units · HortTechnology 22(4) (2012), Peer-Reviewed