What’s my pepper type? I planted pepper seeds in my garden but lost their packet, how do I know what kind of pepper plant I have? And other questions that people often ask about identifying different types of peppers. Join me in this article to provide you with a pepper plant identification chart.
The world of pepper plants is very varied but I tried to collect the most common types here. After reading this article, you will find the images of 10 pepper varieties along with a chart that will make pepper plant identification easy for you.
➡ You can also hear the audio version of this article.
Here, I provide you with a chart for pepper Identification. First, pepper types are grouped based on their size in four groups:
In every group, pepper types are grouped based on their shape.
In this section, I will provide you with a key with a brief overview of the appearance of pepper types that make pepper plant identification easier for you.
A: Pepper Has Large Fruits:
A-1: Pepper Has Blocky Large Fruits
Bell Peppers (Capsicum annuum): you will find this pepper with large, blocky fruits in various beautiful colors, including green, red, yellow, orange, and even purple. About the flavor, this pepper often has a mild, sweet flavor with a thick flesh.
In addition to fruits, Bell pepper has broad leaves in oval shape. Its small flowers are white or pale yellow with five petals.
A-2: Pepper Has Heart-Shaped Large Fruits
Poblano Peppers (Capsicum annuum): the distinctive fruits of Poblano peppers are large and heart-shaped and you find them in a shiny, dark green color. Ancho peppers are another name for Poblano peppers that are used for their fully ripe and dried fruits
Poblanos is mild to medium heat level and is popular for its rich, slightly earthy flavor. People usually used Poblanos for stuffing, roasting, and in Mexican dishes like chiles rellenos.
This pepper has broad, heart-shaped leaves with small white blooms. Its flowers have five petals.
B: Pepper Has Long Fruit:
B-1: Pepper Has Slender Long Fruits
Cayenne Peppers (Capsicum annuum): the fruits are long and slender in shape and often turn red when mature. They have you find their flavor in medium to high levels of heat. They are often dried and ground into a powder for use as a spice. You see Cayenne pepper with narrow, lanceolate leaves. the blooms are white to pale yellow with five petals.
B-2: Pepper Has Oblong or Banana- Shaped Long Fruits
Anaheim Peppers (Capsicum annuum): the fruits of Anaheim peppers are medium to large-sized. They are green when unripe and turn red when fully mature. You find Anaheim peppers with a mild to medium heat level, however, you may taste a slightly sweet, smoky flavor too.
The leaves are broad and lance-shaped. this pepper produces white to pale yellow blooms that have five petals.
C: Pepper Has Medium-sized Fruit:
C-1: Pepper Has Oblong or Banana- Shaped Mid Fruits
C-1-1: Flavor: Mild to medium heat, slightly sweet, smoky
Anaheim Peppers (Capsicum annuum)
C-1-2: Flavor: Bright, crisp, higher heat than jalapeños
Serrano Peppers (Capsicum annuum): you may find the fruits of Serrano peppers in small to medium sizes. Its fruits are green when unripe, however they will turn red or yellow with age. I love the bright and crisp flavor of Serrano peppers; however, I think they are at a higher heat level than jalapeños. I often use Serranos in salsas, relishes, and Mexican dishes.
This plant has narrow and elongated leaves while the edges are slightly serrated. The blooms are similar to other Capsicum annuum varieties.
C-2: Pepper Has Conical Mid Fruits
Jalapeño Peppers (Capsicum annuum): Jalapeños fruits often come in medium-sized, they often are harvested when they are green, but if you leave them, they will turn red as they mature. They have if you love a moderate level of heat in peppers, Jalapeños can be best with its slightly smoky flavor. You can use this pepper type in salsas, stuffed dishes, and pickling.
Jalapeños has narrow, elongated leaves. Its small flowers are white to pale yellow with five petals.
C-3: Pepper Has Lantern-Shaped Mid Fruit
Habanero Peppers (Capsicum chinense): Habaneros can produce small to medium-sized fruits in orange, red, yellow, and even chocolate brown colors. Habaneros are best for those who love extremely hot peppers. This pepper has also a fruity, tropical flavor that makes it more suitable for spicy sauces, salsas, and marinades.
You often find this plant with narrow, elongated leaves whose texture is wrinkled or crinkled. This pepper plant produces white to cream or pale-yellow blooms with five petals.
Ghost Peppers (Bhut Jolokia, Capsicum chinense): Ghost peppers are one of the hottest peppers in the world. Their fruit is often small to medium-sized with a wrinkled, bumpy appearance. You may find them in various colors, including red, orange, and yellow.
Ghost peppers with their fruity, smoky flavor are proper for extremely spicy dishes and hot sauces.
This pepper has broad, oval-shaped leaves with a slightly wrinkled texture. The blooms are similar to other Habanero pepper plants.
D: Pepper Has Small Fruit
D-1: Pepper Has Oblong or Banana-Shaped Small Fruits
Serrano Peppers (Capsicum annuum)
D-2: Pepper Has Conical Small Fruits
Thai Peppers (Capsicum annuum): its other common name is “bird’s eye peppers” and is one of the small but extremely hot peppers. You find them in red or green colors in mature. If you are interested in adding intense heat to dishes, Thai peppers can work well especially for spicy sauces.
You often see Thai peppers with narrow, lanceolate leaves and white or pale-yellow flowers.
D-3: Pepper Has Lantern-Shaped Small Fruit
Habanero Peppers (Capsicum chinense)
Ghost Peppers (Bhut Jolokia, Capsicum chinense)
D-4: Pepper Has Round Small Fruits
Scotch Bonnet Peppers (Capsicum chinense): I love these small and round peppers especially when they come in a variety of colors such as yellow, orange, and red. However, Scotch Bonnets are extremely hot with a distinct fruity flavor.
The leaves are narrow and elongated with frilly or curled edges. The blooms are white or pale yellow.
I love the thrill of identifying plants with keys and charts, but if you ask me the easiest way to identify peppers or any plant is to use a plant identifier. If you want one of the best, I recommend the “House Plant Identifier“. It’s a free online tool with a perfect algorithm that works well for houseplants, trees, flowers, ornamental, and wild plant identification. I even identify a brown mushroom by it.
Working with the “House Plant Identifier” is very easy. It only takes 2 seconds to identify your plant with high accuracy. You can also use it for detecting plant diseases.
Conclusion
You got familiar with the top 10 pepper plants. I provided you with a pepper plant identification chart and key. Do you think my chart can work well for pepper plant identification? Which one in the above list was your pepper plant? if you want to create a list of your favorite peppers, which one will be on top of your list? Why? Please tell us about your ideas below this page.
Hi, I’m Elaheh. My Academic major is plant protection, and houseplants are my expertise. As a houseplant lover, my house is full of indoor plants and it is my passion to take care of them. Hence, I’m here to share my knowledge and experience about growing healthy houseplants. I am also a plant protection advisor, so feel free to ask me any questions you may have.