Marta Brower's Aji Copihue

Beautiful, flavorful pepper (C. baccatum) that resembles and is named afer Chile's national flower. Superb fruity flavor, sweet in the outer "wings" and moderately spicy at the center with a very crunchy texture. Plants are erect, between 36.5-45.5 inches high with a large full canopy, thick stems, and large, moderately pubescent leaves. Requires a long growing season and is very late maturing. Plants were unproductive in the field but very productive in a high tunnel when grown at HF in 2020 and 2019. Fruits ripen from pale green to red and have glossy, slightly wavy skin. Marta Brower de Diaz of Los Angeles, Chile has been growing this variety since the mid-1990s. She says this pepper is used in salsas with oregano, onions, garlic, vinegar, and olive oil, but can also be dried. Marta’s sister-in-law, Marcela Pozo, gave her the pepper variety after Marta first heard about it on television. It's from the Valparaiso region of Chile. The name ‘Aji Copihue’ refers to the shape of the pepper, which resembles a copihue, the national flower of Chile. This variety was donated to SSE in 2016 by Pamela Raditsch of Aptos, California. Pamela is a close friend of Marta’s and started growing the pepper herself in 2015. SSE Accession # 133346