Experiment: Google up a pick of a Moruga

AJ Drew

AJ Drew

Have observed that the term Moruga Scorpion seems to have two images associated with it.  There is what I think is most classic.  Looks like a 7 Pot Brain Strain with a bit of that Bishops Crown going for it and a fat nipple rather than a tail, sometimes with a more developed tail.  Then there is the more elongated less Bishops Crown looking peppers.

Now for the really fun part, I thought about looking around for different sources to illustrate what I mean.  But one source (not my favorite) shows both pod types.  Look at the photos on Wikipedia.  The top one with cut pods seems to be the first instance / blocky version.  Then the second imagine on the plant shows more elongated pods with less of that blocky Bishops Crown look.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinidad_moruga_scorpion
 
good example of the blocky squat tail brain strain image

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyle/2012/02/trinidad-moruga-scorpion-crowned-worlds-hottest-pepper
 
Here is a pic of my Moruga that is about to change color soon
 
20150619_201207_resized_zpsrhifsvrl.jpg

 
Here is another pod
20150619_201228_resized_zpsvci9gbxj.jpg
 
Nice, My red moruga looks a bit like a elongated Brain Strain  with more bumps and some spikes the heat just goes off the scales and even a small piece makes me feel like I stuck a red hot piece of coal in my mouth and my face feels like its melting.
this season I was lucky to get some Chocolate moruga seeds and have six nice plants growing. they are not to big right now,
 as it has been raining here in Missouri fore over 3 weeks and my poor garden looks like some crazy swamp and the weeds are trying to take over, but I have a 5 day break in the weather so I will be waging war with the weeds and bugs worst of all are the mosquitos they just swarm you till you go crazy from them biting and they just laugh at the mosquito spray.
 
I read an article somewhere and I'll see if I can find it. Basically it compared pods on both plants, and came up with a conclusion based on phenotypes that they probably are closely related or even different strains of the same plant. It would be interesting to see them genetically compared.
 
Peppergator, have you properly introduced yourself?  ;)
 
With that said, all pepper types/plants will have phenotypes that vary to some degree or another. Is there really an 'ideal phenotype'? Is that what you're asking, ajdrew?
 
I have not properly introduced myself. Although I have been incognito here watching for awhile. Guess I'll go to the welcome forum for a true introduction. :)
 
meinchoh said:
With that said, all pepper types/plants will have phenotypes that vary to some degree or another. Is there really an 'ideal phenotype'? Is that what you're asking, ajdrew?
Click to expand...
Not really wondering about an "ideal" appearance.  More observing how rapidly super hots are changing.  Moruga is just a good example.  My guess is that if the thing had been called 7 Pot Moruga that it would not often have the tail that today seems fairly common.  I -think- that because people call it the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion that people have been selecting seeds from pods that demonstrated a bit of a tail and an elongation.  Just speculating, but thinking the term scorpion gets people to think that the thing ought to have a long tail rather than a blocky look.

So where originally it had a bit of a tail sometimes, today it is more common.  It is as if we, as a collective / community, are developing and refining peppers collectively.
 
Here's a pick of my first ripe Moruga, most of the ones on my plants have a tail.
 
4ioi7o.jpg


ajdrew said:
Not really wondering about an "ideal" appearance.  More observing how rapidly super hots are changing.  Moruga is just a good example.  My guess is that if the thing had been called 7 Pot Moruga that it would not often have the tail that today seems fairly common.  I -think- that because people call it the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion that people have been selecting seeds from pods that demonstrated a bit of a tail and an elongation.  Just speculating, but thinking the term scorpion gets people to think that the thing ought to have a long tail rather than a blocky look.

So where originally it had a bit of a tail sometimes, today it is more common.  It is as if we, as a collective / community, are developing and refining peppers collectively.
Click to expand...
 
Is it possible that we as growers are changing some peppers traits by choosing the ones we find most appealing and saving the seeds from these certain pods.  
 
Jimbo53, I do think so.

I very much respect the folk at Hippy Seed co, so thought i would take a peek at their photos.  Found something that adds to the conversation.  I think most people say Trinidad Moruga Scorpion and Trinidad Scorpion Moruga Blend are the same pepper.  Hippy Seed co. sells them as different seeds and the photos illustrate the two different looks.

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion - Blocky look

Trinidad Scorpion Moruga Blend - Bishops crown / blunt tail
 
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