California Wonder
Open-pollinated pepper
- Breeding
- Open-pollinated
- Growth habit
- -
- Days to maturity
- 70-75 days 2 sources, none independent · basis unstated
- Fruit
- red
- Weight
- -
- Bred by
- -
Grey captions say what stands behind that particular figure. Breeding, growth habit and fruit characters carry no caption because they rest on the record's sources as a whole rather than citing their own; closing that gap is ordinary outstanding work, not a finished job.
Also known as
| Name | Kind | Note |
|---|---|---|
| California Wonder 300 | Synonym | A later selection widely sold under the parent name. |
Commonly confused with
These are different varieties. A name shared between them does not make them the same seed.
- different variety
Golden California Wonder
The golden form is a separate selection, not the same seed.
- different variety
Yolo Wonder
Yolo Wonder is the TMV-resistant California Wonder derivative, not the original 1928 line.
Origin & history
The bell pepper that defined the category in America, introduced in 1928 and still the open-pollinated standard against which blocky green-to-red bells are measured.
Measurements
| Measurement | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Days to maturity | 70-75 days | Consensus range across the cited sources, which include both independent references and commercial catalogs. |
| Scoville heat | 0 SHU | No detectable capsaicin |
| Wall thickness | 6-8 mm |
Against the rest of the pepper database
Where this variety sits among every pepper we hold a comparable figure for. Position is not merit: earlier is not better than later, and hotter is not better than milder. Only cultivar-level figures are compared, never trial results, and maturity is only ranked against figures counted the same way.
earlier than 83% of the 252 peppers we hold a figure for. None of these figures state whether they are counted from sowing or from transplant, so they are ranked against each other on the assumption that suppliers use one convention, which is not something any of them says.
milder than 100% of the 249 peppers we hold a figure for.
Traits
Disease resistance
| Code | Disease | Level | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| TMV | Tobacco Mosaic Virus (Tobamovirus tabaci / ToMV) | resistant | Breeder declared |
TMV records that this variety has some resistance to this disease without naming which gene. The pathogen has 5 named races that different genes answer differently, so how much of it this covers is not established by the source.
Tobacco Mosaic Virus: Recorded at disease level. This pathogen has 5 named races that varieties meet differently, and the source we cite does not distinguish them.
Breeder declared means the resistance was stated by whoever breeds or sells the seed. That is not a reason to disbelieve it, and for most resistance genes it is the only evidence that exists: the breeder screens the line and publishes the result in their catalog, and no independent party re-tests it. We label it rather than quietly presenting it as though someone had checked.
Related varieties
- open-pollinated
Emerald Giant
72-80 days
- open-pollinated
Jupiter
70-78 days
- open-pollinated
Keystone Resistant Giant
72-80 days
- open-pollinated
Yolo Wonder
70-80 days
- F1 hybrid
Archimedes
60-80 days
- F1 hybrid
Big Bertha
70-75 days
Explore all pepper varieties · compare any two · when to plant it where you are
Sources & References
Evidence: 3 sources, including 1 independent reference.
- Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners · Cornell University Cooperative Extension, Community Collection
- Victory Seeds variety histories · Victory Seed Company, Seed Catalog
- Chile Pepper Institute research and variety releases · New Mexico State University, University or Government