How hot is Scorpion Tongue Black?
Treat it as a hot pepper, roughly in the 50,000-100,000 SHU range. Heat can vary by plant and growing conditions.
Collector Pepper
Hot
Scorpion Tongue Black Pepper Seeds
$5.00
Hot pepper · 10+ seeds · black-to-striped ripening colour · Scorpion Tongue Black Pepper Seeds Scorpion Tongue Black is for cooks who want a visually dramatic hot pepper for vinegar, fermented sauce, drying, and garnish without losi...
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Germ-tested
Ships from Québec
- Packet
- 10+ Seeds per Packet
- Maturity
- About 80-95 days from transplant
- Germination
- Warm soil, ideally 24-29 C; heat mat helpful
- Type
- Non-GMO | Scorpion Tongue Black pepper
- Plant habit
- Productive annuum-type plants with pendant curved pods and dark stems
- Seed line
- Open-pollinated / selection
- Best for
- Hot vinegar, fermented sauce, drying, flakes, salsa, garnish, ornamental edible containers
- Packed for
- Packed for 2026
For Canadian growers, start indoors 8-10 weeks before transplanting and grow in containers, raised beds, or a protected sunny position to help pods ripen fully.
Hot pepper · 10+ seeds · black-to-striped ripening colour
Scorpion Tongue Black Pepper Seeds
Scorpion Tongue Black is for cooks who want a visually dramatic hot pepper for vinegar, fermented sauce, drying, and garnish without losing the clean annuum-style pepper flavour that works in everyday food.
HeatHot, roughly 50k-100k SHU
SpeciesCapsicum annuum-type
MaturityAbout 80-95 days from transplant
Packet10+ Seeds per Packet
Why Grow It?
Grow Scorpion Tongue Black when you want a pepper that earns its space twice: first as a dark ornamental plant with purple-black pods, then as a red-orange striped hot pepper for small-batch kitchen projects. The pods have a curved tongue-like shape, dark calyx, and black striping that makes them stand out in jars, vinegars, powders, and fresh garnishes.
At A Glance
Crop
Scorpion Tongue Black pepper
Flavor
Hot annuum-style pepper bite with ripe red fruitiness.
Visual
Purple-black immature pods ripening red/orange with irregular black streaks.
Plant Habit
Productive plants with pendant curved pods and dark-stemmed fruit.
Seed Line
Rare open-pollinated / selection-type pepper; expect some natural variation.
Best Uses
Hot vinegar, fermented sauce, drying, flakes, salsa, garnish, ornamental edible containers.
In The Kitchen
- Hot vinegar: The striped ripe pods make excellent table vinegar and small infused bottles.
- Ferments and sauce: Use red-orange ripe pods for colour, heat, and clean pepper backbone.
- Dry seasoning: Dry fully ripe pods for flakes or powder with visual drama.
- Fresh garnish: Slice sparingly into tacos, eggs, rice bowls, salsa, and grilled vegetables.
Growing Notes
- Start early: Sow indoors 8-10 weeks before transplanting.
- Keep warm: Germinate in warm soil, ideally 24-29 C.
- Transplant late: Move outside only after nights are reliably warm.
- Harvest stage: Pick purple-black for ornamental colour or let pods ripen red/orange for full flavour.
- Short-season strategy: Grow in containers, raised beds, or a protected sunny spot for better ripening.
Explore By Culinary Use
FAQ
What makes the pods unusual?
The pods start dark purple-black and ripen toward red/orange while keeping irregular black streaks and dark shoulders.
Is it useful in the kitchen?
Yes. It is especially good for hot vinegar, fermented sauce, dried flakes, small-batch powder, salsa, and colourful garnish.
When should Canadian growers start it?
Start indoors 8-10 weeks before transplanting and give plants a warm, sunny position after frost risk has passed.
Seed note: Rare colour-patterned peppers can show natural variation in pod shape, striping, heat, and ripening colour. Save seed only from healthy plants showing the colour and shape you want to continue.
Start seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before transplanting. Keep soil warm for germination, grow under strong light, harden off carefully, and transplant after frost risk has passed into full sun and warm soil.
Use Scorpion Tongue Black for hot vinegar, fermented pepper sauce, dried flakes, powder, salsa, garnish, tacos, eggs, and small-batch condiments.
