Pepper, Hot Paper Lantern Habanero (Capsicum chinense), packet of 20 seeds, organic

Family:  Nightshade (Solanaceae)

Perennial in Zones 10-12, otherwise grown as an annual, 90 to 100 days to harvest

350,000 Scoville Heat Units

(Hot Paper Lantern Pepper, Habanero Pepper for the North)  Bright red, Chinese-lantern shaped peppers hang pendant from a sturdy, flat-topped bush.  I have trouble growing standard Habaneros outdoors in my zone 6, but these grew readily and produced volumes of beautiful peppers.  One caution, though, they are dangerously hot.  I have a habit of testing seeds by pinching them between my front teeth, and when I did this with a hot paper lantern seed, I ended up crying in the field! Standard pepper culture.

20 seeds per packet, certified organically grown

Traditional usage (TWM): flavor enhancement, circulation stimulant, antibacterial, vermifuge, against shock, life extension, prophylactic to cancer and heart disease.*  Source of capsaicin.

* American Heart Association Scientific Sessions Report, Presentation P1036

• Consumption of chili pepper may reduce the relative risk of cardiovascular disease mortality by 26%, according to an analysis of diet and mortality data from four large, international studies.
• Chili pepper consumption was associated with a 25% reduction in death from any cause and 23% fewer cancer deaths, compared to people who never or only rarely consumed chili pepper.