Aji Panca?

[Indiana_Jesse]

Sorry man, didn't want to hurt your feelings - but it would be nice to see some photos and/or grow seeds. It's just that I have been on the lookout for a brown baccatum for many years and have been disappointed so many times, because taxonomy is so bad... So for now it is my belief that a brown baccatum does not exist, I simply need solid proof - please prove me wrong and I shall stand corrected.

No Problem, BUT Please read my original post more carefully. You will notice that I state that in Bolivia they refer to some dark RED ripening baccatums as Aji "Panca". So in other words not all Ajies called "Panca" ripen to brown, and these dark red ones are likely C. baccatum. So Yes, there may in fact be no brown ripening baccatums. Just a little miscommunication I guess.

 

[Jetchuka]

Edit: i'm going to revisit the store where i bought them. By now they would fresh stock so i want to see what they look like. If they all look completely different, like with thicker/wider tops and blockier tips, then i'll probably buy another bag.

I finally went back to the foreign food store i mentioned in this previous post. I found a different brand for the Aji Pancas and decided to purchase them as well. Here's a few pics:

These look redder than the Inca Food brand in my last post. These do not have a chinense smell or taste either like my last batch, but who knows, and there's only one way to find out.

I'll probably fully grow out two of each batch. If they get too large/bushy then i may whittle it down to one from each batch.

I may have to start a couple of dozen seeds to get four full plants though.

 

[Eephus Man]

Mine started shriveling on the vine, so I plucked 'em and brought 'em in. 2/3 are fully brown/maroon. One is still partially green. Very shiny. Waiting for them to dry longer to extract seed and try them out. Probably not growing any this year, but maybe next. We'l see...

 

[windchicken]

As of this morniing, 25 Jan 2012, Beth has Panca seeds. Better get them while you can:

http://www.peppermania.com/chinense_5.html

 

[Eephus Man]

Interesting. I'm very tempted. Mine turned and dried on the vine. My wife and I are trying to figure out what to do with just three of them. We may add them to a mole. Gonna extract seeds, but they're OP. Maybe they crossed with something that ripens more quickly.

 

[windchicken]

It is tempting. However, my Grow List is already way larger than I can manage. I'm trying to figure out how to eliminate 4-6 of the varieties I have in the list right now....

 

[Eephus Man]

I hear ya, Gary. I've once again over estimated. BUT...attrition is still at work. My son ripped out another healthy seedling last night. Luckily I had quite a few of the variety, and he had a blast waving it around like a trophy. lol.

 

[windchicken]

I got a kick out of that mental image!

I'm thinking along the lines of "survival of the fittest" as well. Jiffy trays don't take up much room...

 

[swellcat]

Is the Aji Panca a Chinense or a baccatum?

 
Still relevant.
 
 

 
Aji Colorado // Colored Chile Pepper
This pepper is the fresh version of the dried Aji Panca Chile Pepper . . .  — Gretchen Noelle at http://www.provechoperu.com/2011/10/aji-chili-pepper/

 
(She also identifies the Colorado as a Chinense: is she mistaken?  Is it a matter of "Colorado" being a descriptive term used for more than one chile?
 
 

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[harry]

 

Is the Aji Panca a Chinense or a baccatum]?

Still relevant.
 

I see you spotted an answer that was posted earlier:

"Aji Panca" is indeed a common name given to several different peppers(and species)! There really is no "one" true Panca unfortunately for those of us who really like things to be concise. Generally, the commercially grown Aji Panca in Peru is a C. chinense that is dark brown/black when dried according to the book (in Spanish) Ajies Peruanos:Sazon para el Mundo. 2009. Good book by the way if you can read Spanish!

My friend from Santa Cruz, Bolivia tells me that they call several different peppers "Aji Panca", some are red, some are brown, some are hot, and some are mild! He tells me that despite the fact they have MANY different ajies, they are all grouped together (in Bolivia) as either amarillo, colorado, locoto, or panca!

Whether you end up with a C. baccatum or C. chinense depends on the source. 
 

 

Aji Colorado // Colored Chile Pepper
This pepper is the fresh version of the dried Aji Panca Chile Pepper . . . — Gretchen Noelle http://www.provechoperu.com/2011/10/aji-chili-pepper/

(She also identifies the Colorado as a Chinense: is she mistaken?  Is it a matter of "Colorado" being a descriptive term used for more than one chile?
 

There's an Aji Colorado on ChilePlants.com that is described as a C. baccatum. Most of the references I see to a red Aji Colorado list it as a C. baccatum.

 

[swellcat]

I see you spotted an answer that was posted earlier . . .

 
Yes, but I'm still questing for the One True Panca.
 

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[swellcat]

_____
What can Brown do for you? 
 

The Aji Brown [Chinense - mild] also known as 'Aji Panca' is the second most common Aji variety in Peru . . .   — thechileman

 
The Aji Panca entry has similar text but labels the chile a baccatum.  The photo of the green pod looks consistent with that on the Brown entry, but the orange pods look like another variety altogether.
 

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[Donnie]

Still relevant.
 

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The traditional, widespread Aji Panca is c. Chinense and brown. However there is a red strain which is also chinense. Still, I would love to see a brown baccatum...
Sources: http://www.lamolina.edu.pe/hortalizas/webdocs/PUNTO%20DE%20AJI%20.pdf + http://www.lamolina.edu.pe/hortalizas/webdocs/ajiesdelPeru.pdf

 

[swellcat]

Sources: http://www.lamolina....NTO DE AJI .pdf + http://www.lamolina....jiesdelPeru.pdf

 
Fun files with some great food and chile photos.  Thanks for sharing.  These appear to be helpful references for names, spellings, and to some extent, identification.  One benefit from the knowledge could be avoiding chasing three different-named versions of the very same pods.
 
 

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[oboesushi]

I am having terrible luck germinating my Aji panca seeds!  I purchased them from Refining Fire Chiles, so I assume it is me that is doing something wrong.  I have them germinating like the rest of my seeds -- soaked in tea for several hours, then folded in a damp paper towel in a baggie, resting on top of my modem.  Can anyone please help?

 

[swellcat]

. . . soaked in tea for several hours, then folded in a damp paper towel in a baggie, resting on top of my modem.

 
That sounds solid, textbook-legit to me.  How long has it been?
 
Disclosure: my little panca batch (from a different source) hasn't germinated in seven weeks in dome-covered soil.
 

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[oboesushi]

 
That sounds solid, textbook-legit to me.  How long has it been?
 
Disclosure: my little panca batch (from a different source) hasn't germinated in seven weeks in dome-covered soil.
 

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The oldest batch has been at least five weeks.  I should have kept track of the sowing time now that I think about it.  On another batch that I sowed last week, some of the seed casings have gotten very soft and gooey, and the seeds have inflated.  If I squeeze the seed whitish liquid comes out.  I found this very odd.
On a side note, I have had lots of trouble with germinating fatalii too -- I have had only 2 seeds pop, but they both stopped growing before fully emerging from the seed cap, they also had notably small hypocotyl.  But this is for a different day and a different topic.

 

[Ragnar]

I am having terrible luck germinating my Aji panca seeds!  I purchased them from Refining Fire Chiles, so I assume it is me that is doing something wrong.  I have them germinating like the rest of my seeds -- soaked in tea for several hours, then folded in a damp paper towel in a baggie, resting on top of my modem.  Can anyone please help?

 
Have you checked/monitered temps?

Sometimes these things are warmer than we expect..

 

[oboesushi]

Hmm, I checked again and the temp appears to be around 95 after the modem has been working.  Is this enough to harm the plants?

 

[jonnyb]

Hang in there, oboesushi. I started some seeds in february and it took them over three weeks to pop up. about 25 days in total. All the others I started popped up about 10-15 days before that. I soaked them in water for 24hrs then sowed them in seedling soil mix and covered with cling film to keep them moist and put them in a warm cabinet that stayed at 24-28 deg C. They need to stay moist or they may go back into hibernation and also wont germinate if the soil is waterlogged. Although I'm sure you probably know that. Another possibility is that the soil may have bacteria or fungus in it. I lost one of my cups that way - no germination after a month and smelt cheesy when I lifted the cling film. You can sterilise your soil by putting the cup in the microwave, boil the soil a little to kill anything inside it, wait to cool, then seed, water and cover. Has worked well for me.
 
The other thing to bare in mind is that they take a long time to ripen the fruit. Mine produced some fruit but winter came along before they ripened, though I imagine you'll have longer seasons in Arizona.
 
As far as species, I'm yet to hear to hear of any bacatum type flower on a Panca. They all seem to turn out chinense from my own bit of internet research (and personal experience). It may just be a confusion with linking the name Aji to the bacatums, but I could very possibly be wrong.