Cayenne pepper is a frost-tender perennial in the nightshade family (Solanaceae) native to northern regions of South America and southwestern regions of North America. There are many cultivars available to use as food or as an ornamental. The peppers require full sun but is heat and drought-tolerant. For best results, start from seed indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost date and set seedlings or purchased plants out in the garden after any possibility of frost. It can be temperamental if its roots are disturbed and it prefers full sun and moist, well-drained, rich soil. It is best to keep this plant's soil consistently and evenly moist. To promote a bushy appearance, you can pinch young plants. There are many varieties with fruits that vary in size, color and shape and range from very spicy to sweet. Flowers are usually small white to purple in clusters during the summer. Use these plants in the edible garden or as an ornamental to add color to the border or a pot. Click here to see a calendar of planting schedules, time-to-harvest, and recommended spacing. Insects Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: This plant has a few potential pests. It is important to look out for aphids, whiteflies, cutworms, pepper maggots, and Colorado potato beetles. This plant is also sensitive to Verticillium wilt (a fungal pathogen) and mosaic virus (which should show a uniform yellow-green mosaic across the leaves followed by wilt). VIDEO Created by Laura Barth for "Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Nuts," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Capsicum .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 8 in. | Width: 0 ft. 6 in. - 1 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Mounding; Multi-stemmed
Leaf color
Green; Purple/Lavender
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf value
Long-lasting; Showy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Ovate leaves (to 3” long) that are deep green. Some cultivars emerge green but quickly turn shiny black. Leaves retain good color throughout the growing season.
Flower color
Purple/Lavender; White
Flower shape
Bell; Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Small white to purple flowers appear in clusters in summer, but are not particularly ornamental.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Black; Gold/Yellow; Green; Orange; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit value
Edible; Good Dried; Showy
Fruit size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Fruits are a non-pulpy berry and vary considerably across cultivars. Some are long, thin, bright red, and spicy; others are thick, large, and sweet-tasting; others still are small and in ornamental shapes and colors, grown as decoration.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Nodes may darken to a purple shade.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Tropical North and South America
Wildlife value
Birds are immune to the capsaicin in peppers and can safely eat the fruits with no ill effects. Therefore, these plants may attract birds. Host plant for Potato Tuber Moth.
Attracts
Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit
Harvest time
Summer
Fruit type
Berry
Edibility
Fruits edible, but spiciness is unpredictable in intensity.
Aphids on Ornamental Landscape Plants; Caterpillars Found on Flowers and Foliage; European Pepper Moth in Nurseries and Greenhouses; Silverleaf Whitefly; Greenhouse Whitefly; Insect and Related Pests of Vegetables; Pests of Peppers
Disease problems
Southern Bacterial Wilt on Herbaceous Ornamental Plants; Phytophthora Blight of Peppers; Southern Blight of Tomato and Pepper; Anthracnose of Pepper; Crop Protectants for Controlling Diseases of Vegetable Crops in Greenhouses; Bacterial Spot of Pepper and Tomato