| Genus: | Capsicum | ||||||
| Species: | Capsicum annuum | ||||||
| Module: |
|
Medusa peppers are a type of sweet, ornamental chili pepper which grow upright, brightly colored fruit, and which are long and thin, producing a "hair of snakes" look suggestive of the gorgon Medusa in Greek mythology.
Unlike most other ornamental peppers, Medusa peppers are very mild, and typically have a heat level ranging from 1 to 1,000 Scoville heat units. Medusa peppers typically grow to approximately 2inches long, and are often slightly curved in shape.[1] Unusually for ornamental peppers, the fruits are sweet, and transition from green through yellow and orange as they ripen, eventually becoming red when fully ripe.[2]