- Heirloom
- Very hot
- 120 days to maturity (from transplant)
- 855,000–1,040,000 SHU
- Red
Bhut Jolokia
Ghost Pepper · Naga Jolokia · Bih Jolokia
Heirloom very hot pepper from India. Fruity for a moment, then heat that builds for minutes rather than seconds. Handle with gloves. Ready in about 120 days from transplant.
Single source · Updated Oct 2, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.
At a glance
- Heat
- Very hot 855,000–1,040,000 SHU
- Pod
- Elongated <1 oz (6–12 g) (estimated)
Wrinkled tapering pods about 60 to 85 mm with a rough, dimpled skin.
- Species
- Capsicum chinense
- Days to harvest
- 120 days from transplant · Late
- Plant height
- 1½–2 ft (46–61 cm) Compact
- Spacing
- 18 × 24 in (46 × 61 cm)
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Position
- Handles open positions
- Growing sites
- Greenhouse · Open ground · Container
- Container growing
- Balcony friendly min. 5 gal (20 L) pot (estimated)
- Difficulty
- Challenging (estimated) 4/5
- Skin
-
- Red
- Orange
- Yellow
- Brown
Heat
Scoville heat units
Very hot
Bhut Jolokia Scoville heat units: 855,000–1,040,000 SHU
Habanero territory and above: Orange Habanero, Caribbean Red, and Bhut Jolokia an order of magnitude past them. Handle with gloves, taste before committing a whole pod to a dish.
Flavor
“Fruity for a moment, then heat that builds for minutes rather than seconds. Handle with gloves.”
Growing calendar
120 days from transplant Late
Timing shown for temperate climates; sow indoors 6–8 (estimated) weeks before your last frost date. Look up your last frost date by ZIP code →
Disease resistance
No documented disease resistances — protect this variety with good airflow and crop rotation.
Uses & tags
- Sauce & paste
- Drying
- Hot climate
- Rare collector
- Gift worthy
- High flavor
Origin
Bhut Jolokia comes from Assam and the surrounding north-eastern Indian states, and in 2007 it was certified as the hottest chile in the world, the first to be measured above a million Scoville heat units. It has since been overtaken, but it remains the reference point for what a superhot is. Genetically it is mostly Capsicum chinense with some C. frutescens in its ancestry. True Leaf Market lists it at 855,000 to 1,040,000 SHU over 120 to 129 days from transplant, which is a long season: in cooler climates it needs starting very early and often finishes under cover. Red, yellow, chocolate and white forms are sold; they differ in colour and slightly in heat, not in habit.
Sources
Where to buy seeds
Prices rechecked daily- Botanical InterestsSeeds
Packet size not listed
Check availability
$3.49Checked Oct 16, 2026 - Sandia Seed CompanySeeds
10 seeds
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$3.99Checked Oct 16, 2026 - Tomato Growers Supply CompanySeeds
Pack (10 seeds)
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$4.45Checked Oct 16, 2026 - True Leaf MarketSeeds
45 Mg
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$4.89Checked Oct 16, 2026 - Eden BrothersSeeds
Packet
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$6.99Checked Oct 16, 2026
Links may earn us a commission at no cost to you. Prices checked Oct 16, 2026.
All photos
Questions
How do you grow a Bhut Jolokia (ghost pepper) plant?
A Bhut Jolokia plant grows 1½–2 ft (46–61 cm) tall. Space plants 18 in (46 cm) apart in rows 24 in (61 cm) apart. Start seed indoors 6–8 weeks before your last frost (estimated); it germinates in 7–35 days. It needs full sun.
How long does Bhut Jolokia take to mature?
Bhut Jolokia is ready in about 120 days from transplant.
How hot is Bhut Jolokia?
Bhut Jolokia sits in the very hot range, about 855,000–1,040,000 Scoville heat units. Figures vary between seed sellers, so treat them as a band rather than a measurement.
Can Bhut Jolokia be grown in a container?
Yes — Bhut Jolokia grows well in a container of at least 20 L (5 gal).
Is Bhut Jolokia resistant to disease?
No disease resistance is documented for Bhut Jolokia.
