I received the original seeds from dried pods that a guy from Mexico brought from Vera Cruz, Mexico in Fall 2007. He told me several different names that they are called and was surprised by my interest in them (so that is why he gave some to me). He was drying them in his garage and I noticed them when I was doing a termite inspection for him. I was very excited when they germinated and grew true to type in 2008. I was originally surprised to notice that they are C. frutescens, so that is why I do not call them piquins, and instead refer to them as "bird peppers". They are very late season here in Indiana, but extremely tolerant of both hot and cold weather. They overwinter very easily even in low light and still produce pods throughout the winter. Before I discovered that there were so many other chiles available, I used them to spice up pasta, soups, and other dishes in the winter when I didn't have other fresh chiles. They dry easily and quickly and have strong Tabasco-like flavor. They are about 0.5"-0.75" long and 0.25" wide. when ripe they break free from the calyx very easily. I'm new to posting pics so here I go...
