Plant, Tree & Shrub Library

Other Names:  Ornamental Chili, Chili Pepper

Description:

A beautiful ornamental pepper grown for its showy foliage and fruits; foliage is shaded black and dark green, fruits are rounded peppers held in upright clusters that start black and mature to purple and fiery red; a showy plant for hot locations

Ornamental Features

Royal Black Ornamental Pepper is primarily grown for its highly ornamental fruit. The fruits are showy black peppers with purple variegation and which fade to red over time, which are carried in abundance from mid summer to early fall. It features subtle purple star-shaped flowers dangling from the stems from late spring to mid summer. Its pointy leaves remain dark green in color with hints of purple throughout the season.

This plant is primarily grown as an ornamental, but it's also valued for its edible qualities. The round spicy peppers are most often used in the following ways:

• Cooking
• Drying
• Pickling
• Seasoning
• Sauces

Landscape Attributes

Royal Black Ornamental Pepper is an herbaceous annual with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should not require much pruning, except when necessary, such as to remove dieback. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Royal Black Ornamental Pepper is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Herb Gardens
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Royal Black Ornamental Pepper will grow to be about 18 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 inches. This vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop.

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Royal Black Ornamental Pepper is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.