About
Capsicum annuum 'Black Pearl' is cultivated for both its aesthetic appeal and its edible fruits. The plant features dark purple foliage alongside purple blooms. Its petite peppers transition through a color spectrum from green to purple, ultimately maturing to red. Displaying all three colors simultaneously is visually appealing, but regular harvesting encourages the production of new flowers. While it is a woody perennial, it is typically treated as an annual in the UK due to challenges in sustaining it through colder seasons.
About the genus
Capsicum comprises both annual and perennial species characterized by simple, alternate foliage and flowers that are either tubular or bell-shaped. These plants are cultivated primarily for their glossy, multi-seeded fruits, which include varieties such as chili and bell peppers. Additionally, they serve as popular choices for indoor ornamental displays.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Neutral, Acid
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H1C
Plant details
- Plant type
- Fruit Edible, Annual Biennial
- Habit
- Columnar upright, Spreading branched
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 1 year
- Suggested uses
- Patio and container plants
- Toxicity
- Humans/Pets: Irritant if eaten, skin/eye irritant. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling For further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in pots of fertile peat-free compost under glass or on a sheltered sunny patio. Alternatively grow in good garden soil in a polytunnel. See how to grow: chilli peppers for further advice
- Pruning
- Pinch out the growing tip of shoots to encourage a bushier plant. Keep picking fruit to encourage further flowering
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed. See sowing vegetable seeds or sowing seeds indoors for further advice
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to glasshouse red spider mite, glasshouse whitefly and aphids
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to grey moulds