# List of Capsicum cultivars
A Capsicum cultivar is a named, cultivated variety of pepper within the genus *Capsicum*, the nightshade-family plants that include bell peppers, chile peppers, and ornamental peppers. Cultivars exist across the five domesticated species, *Capsicum annuum* L., *C. frutescens* L., *C. chinense* Jacq., *C. baccatum* L., and *C. pubescens* Ruiz & Pav., and range from sweet, non-pungent bell types to intensely hot habanero and superhot lines.[1](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3174431/) Seed companies distribute several hundred varieties of both sweet and hot peppers, and no single list is complete; the entries below are representative named cultivars documented in university extension and plant-database sources.[2](https://extension.psu.edu/pepper-production)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Species base | Cultivars belong chiefly to five domesticated species: *C. annuum*, *C. frutescens*, *C. chinense*, *C. baccatum*, and *C. pubescens*[1](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3174431/) |
| Number of species | Kew's Plants of the World Online currently accepts 43 species in *Capsicum*[3](https://wikipepper.org/articles/species-landraces-cultivars-inter-alia) |
| Commercial scale | Seed companies distribute several hundred varieties of both sweet and hot peppers[2](https://extension.psu.edu/pepper-production) |
| Most common bell cultivar | 'California Wonder' is described as the most common bell pepper cultivar in commercial storage literature[4](https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/oc/np/CommercialStorage/CommercialStorage.pdf) |
| Disease-resistance naming | Resistance codes in seed catalogs: Xcv = bacterial leaf spot (*Xanthomonas*), TMV = tobacco mosaic virus, TSWV = tomato spotted wilt virus, Pc = *Phytophthora capsici*, with races given by number[5](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/CV130) |
| Bacterial leaf spot races | All 11 currently known races of the bacterial leaf spot pathogen have been detected in New Jersey; varieties with X10R technology resist all of them[6](https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/pest-management/disease-factsheets/disease-resistant-vegetable-varieties/pepper-varieties-resistant-to-phytophthora-blight-and-bacterial-leaf-spot/) |
## Species and cultivar groups
Most familiar peppers are *Capsicum annuum*, an annual herb that grows 1 to 5 m tall and carries greenish or white flowers 10 to 15 mm wide; cultivated mild and hot peppers include five main species: *Capsicum annuum*, *C. chinense*, *C. frutescens*, *C. baccatum*, and *C. pubescens*.[7](https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9781136393563_A23844152/preview-9781136393563_A23844152.pdf) • [14](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9881532/) Horticultural catalogs group *C. annuum* cultivars into botanical groups by fruit form, including Cerasiforme (cherry peppers), Conioides (cone peppers), Fasciculatum (red cone peppers), Grossum (sweet cone peppers, the bells), and Longum (chili and cayenne peppers).[8](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/capsicum-annuum/)
## Representative cultivars
**Sweet and bell peppers.** 'California Wonder' is a heat-tolerant, disease-resistant bell producing large red peppers, and is the most common bell cultivar in commercial references.[8](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/capsicum-annuum/) • [4](https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/oc/np/CommercialStorage/CommercialStorage.pdf) Widely grown Georgia varieties 'Antebellum' and 'Aristotle' are blocky green-to-red bells; 'Antebellum' resists bacterial leaf spot races 1 to 10 and TMV race 0, with intermediate resistance to TSWV.[5](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/CV130) • [9](https://fieldreport.caes.uga.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AP-113-5_1.pdf) Other named sweet types include 'Sweet orange', described as sugary sweet, and 'Sweet Sunset', a compact banana-type pepper that changes from pale yellow to orange and deep red as it matures.[8](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/capsicum-annuum/)
**Hot peppers.** 'Early Jalapeno' produces compact, medium-hot fruits in about 60 to 65 days.[8](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/capsicum-annuum/) A serrano medium-heat variety described in Florida production guidance has good heat setting at 10,000 to 23,000 SHU, fruit averaging 4 to 4.5 inches, and thick walls for shelf life.[5](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/CV130)
**Ornamental cultivars.** Several *C. annuum* cultivars are grown for foliage and fruit color rather than eating: 'Aurora' and 'Candelabra' are ornamental and not edible, 'Black Pearl' has dark purple, almost black leaves in full sun, 'Buena Mulata' shows chameleon-like color changes as it ripens, 'Calico' has variegated leaves of dark purple, green, and white, and 'Purple Flash' is compact with near-black foliage and tiny, very hot black fruits.[8](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/capsicum-annuum/) 'Basket of Fire' is an edible hot pepper bred for hanging baskets and containers, and 'Chilly Chili' is ornamental and not edible.[8](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/capsicum-annuum/)
## Disease resistance as a cultivar trait
**Resistance codes.** Seed catalogs and extension variety tables describe cultivars with a standard disease key: R for resistant, IR for intermediate resistance, HR for high resistance, and T for tolerant, applied to pathogens abbreviated Xcv (bacterial leaf spot), TMV, PVY (potato virus Y), TSWV, Pc (*Phytophthora capsici* blight), Tm (tobamovirus), TEV (tobacco etch virus), PepMo (pepper mottle virus), and ToM (tomato mosaic virus), with pathogen races indicated by their numbers.[5](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/CV130)
**Phytophthora blight.** *Phytophthora capsici*, the cause of crown and fruit rot, is among the most destructive pepper diseases, and resistant varieties are the first defense growers can integrate into a production system, since fungicides alone can be insufficient during a rainy season.[6](https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/pest-management/disease-factsheets/disease-resistant-vegetable-varieties/pepper-varieties-resistant-to-phytophthora-blight-and-bacterial-leaf-spot/) Paladin was the first pepper variety with a good level of resistance to [Phytophthora](https://www.edgepedia.org/phytophthora) blight, but it lacks bacterial leaf spot resistance and its fruit are prone to silvering, a physiological disorder.[6](https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/pest-management/disease-factsheets/disease-resistant-vegetable-varieties/pepper-varieties-resistant-to-phytophthora-blight-and-bacterial-leaf-spot/) Cornell's resistant-variety list names bell cultivars such as Nitro S10, Sailfish, SVPB9386, and Tarpon (resistant to blight and to bacterial leaf spot races 0 to 10), Intruder, Mercer, Remarkabelle, Revolution, and Turnpike (resistant to blight and some races), and the jalapenos Legendario and Tzotzil.[6](https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/pest-management/disease-factsheets/disease-resistant-vegetable-varieties/pepper-varieties-resistant-to-phytophthora-blight-and-bacterial-leaf-spot/)
**Race evolution.** The bacterial leaf spot pathogen develops new races able to overcome resistant varieties; all 11 currently known races have been detected in New Jersey, and varieties carrying X10R technology are resistant to all of them.[6](https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/pest-management/disease-factsheets/disease-resistant-vegetable-varieties/pepper-varieties-resistant-to-phytophthora-blight-and-bacterial-leaf-spot/) Breeding programs continue to respond: the [University of Georgia](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-georgia) bell pepper program uses crop wild relatives, plant introduction accessions, and breeding lines to breed for *Phytophthora* resistance, because current varieties resist only some pathogen races and new races keep evolving.[10](https://fieldreport.caes.uga.edu/publications/AP113-07-08/2025-bell-pepper-breeding-for-phytophthora-resistance/)
## How cultivar lists are maintained
Cultivar information is compiled from seed catalogs and university variety trials. Cornell's disease-resistant variety lists draw on seed catalogs for 2018, 2020, and 2022, and note that varieties are occasionally listed as resistant without the disease or disorder specified.[11](https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/pest-management/disease-factsheets/disease-resistant-vegetable-varieties/disease-resistant-pepper-varieties/) In Europe, the Community Plant Variety Office maintains the CPVO Variety Finder, a database covering registers of more than 70 countries that holds plant breeders' rights data, national listings, and common catalog data, and includes a similarity search to test the suitability of new denomination names.[12](https://cpvo.europa.eu/en/applications-and-examinations/cpvo-variety-finder) Extension guidance recommends that growers select cultivars using local performance tests, on-farm trials, and seed trade literature, since market qualities in pepper include pack-out, shelf life, blockiness, lobe number, color, size, firmness, and pod wall thickness.[13](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN755)
## References
1. [lectotypifications, synonymy, and a new name in capsicum (solanoideae, solanaceae) - pmc](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3174431/)
2. [Pepper Production, Penn State Extension](https://extension.psu.edu/pepper-production)
3. [Species, Landrace, Cultivar, Accession: Pepper Terms, WikiPepper](https://wikipepper.org/articles/species-landraces-cultivars-inter-alia)
4. [Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), USDA Agricultural Research Service commercial storage guidance](https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/oc/np/CommercialStorage/CommercialStorage.pdf)
5. [HS732/CV130: Chapter 13. Pepper Production, UF/IFAS](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/CV130)
6. [Pepper Varieties Resistant to Phytophthora Blight and Bacterial Leaf Spot, Cornell Vegetables](https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/pest-management/disease-factsheets/disease-resistant-vegetable-varieties/pepper-varieties-resistant-to-phytophthora-blight-and-bacterial-leaf-spot/)
7. [Classification and Nomenclature, Capsicum chapter preview](https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9781136393563_A23844152/preview-9781136393563_A23844152.pdf)
8. [Capsicum annuum, North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/capsicum-annuum/)
9. [2023 University of Georgia Vegetable Extension and Research Report](https://fieldreport.caes.uga.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AP-113-5_1.pdf)
10. [Bell Pepper Breeding for Phytophthora Resistance, UGA CAES Field Report](https://fieldreport.caes.uga.edu/publications/AP113-07-08/2025-bell-pepper-breeding-for-phytophthora-resistance/)
11. [Disease-resistant pepper varieties, Cornell Vegetables](https://www.vegetables.cornell.edu/pest-management/disease-factsheets/disease-resistant-vegetable-varieties/disease-resistant-pepper-varieties/)
12. [CPVO Variety Finder, Community Plant Variety Office](https://cpvo.europa.eu/en/applications-and-examinations/cpvo-variety-finder)
13. [IPM-202/IN755: Cultivar Selection in Tomato and Pepper Production, UF/IFAS](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN755)
14. [pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9881532/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Plants and algae › Cultivars and cultivated forms › Vegetable, herb, and staple crop cultivars › Solanaceous crop cultivars*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license