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Jesse Saylor
Solanaceae
CAPSICUM annuum 'Aurora'( Conoides Group)
Aurora Pepper, Ornamental Pepper
The ornamental pepper 'Aurora' produces many small, conical fruits that turn from green, to lavender, orange and then red as they mature. Although its fiery-hot fruits are edible, this cultivar was developed for ornamental use. Plants take 85 days to produce fruit after planting from seedlings.
First cultivated and selected by Native Americans thousands of years ago, peppers are bushy, brittle-stemmed annual vegetables with thin oval leaves and small five-petaled flowers. The pale purple blooms of 'Aurora' are followed by erect, conical, 1.5-inch (3.5-cm) fruits that ripen from green to purple to orange to red.
Full sun, warmth, ample spacing, and fertile well-drained soil are required for peppers to grow and produce well. Sow seed indoors eight weeks before the last spring frost date. Set out transplants about two weeks after the final frost. This fruits of this variety reach full color about 65 days after seedlings are planted out. Plant this showy-fruited ornamental pepper in containers, annual beds, and mixed borders for several months of warm-season color. Fruiting may continue until hard frost, or into winter in frost-free conditions. Vascular wilts and fungal diseases can be a problem in subpar conditions.
Pinch off early flower buds to encourage stronger branching and roots. Heavily fruiting plants may break apart under the weight if not staked for support. Harvest ripe fruit to encourage new blossoms to form. Care must be taken with plants grown by nurseries for ornamental purposes; they may have been treated with pesticides or other chemicals not suitable for edible plants. Avoid planting this ornamental pepper where children might be tempted to sample the blistering-hot fruits.
Hot peppers get their heat from the compound capsaicin – the higher its concentration, the hotter the pepper. Capsaicin concentration is measured and expressed in Scoville units. For more information about the Scoville Scale see http://www.chilliworld.com/FactFile/Scoville_Scale.asp
12 - 1
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Vegetable
Full Sun
10"-12" / 25.4cm - 30.5cm
10"-14" / 25.4cm - 35.6cm
Spring, Summer, Fall, Indeterminate
Mexico, Central America, South America
Neutral
Well Drained
Loam, Sand
Fast
Average Water
Oval/Rounded
Spring, Summer, Fall
Insignificant
Purple
Yellow, Red, Green, Purple, Orange
Green
Green, Black
No
Single
Yes
Medium
Glossy
Semi-Evergreen
Bedding Plant, Container, Cutflower, Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Mixed Border, Tropical
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