- Heirloom
- Medium
- 85 (estimated) days to maturity (from transplant)
- 10,000–30,000 SHU (estimated)
- Purple
Buena Mulata
Heirloom medium pepper from United States. Cayenne-like heat in a thin-walled pod that changes colour twice before it is ripe. Ready in about 85 days from transplant.
Single source · Updated Sep 19, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.
At a glance
- Heat
- Medium 10,000–30,000 SHU (estimated)
- Pod
- Elongated <1 oz (5–12 g) (estimated)
Slim tapering pods around 100 mm, purple first, then orange, then red.
- Species
- Capsicum annuum
- Days to harvest
- 85 days (estimated) from transplant · Mid-late
- Plant height
- 3–4 ft (90–120 cm) (estimated) Tall
- Spacing
- 18 × 24 in (46 × 61 cm) (estimated)
- 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
- Moderate (estimated) 3/5
- Skin
-
- Purple
- Orange
- Red
Heat
Scoville heat units
Medium
Buena Mulata Scoville heat units: 10,000–30,000 SHU (estimated)
Noticeable heat. Mucho Nacho, the jumbo jalapeño, sits at the bottom of this band and Hungarian Yellow Wax near the middle. Hot enough to lead a salsa, mild enough to eat whole.
Flavor
“Cayenne-like heat in a thin-walled pod that changes colour twice before it is ripe.”
Growing calendar
85 (estimated) days from transplant Mid-late
Timing shown for temperate climates; sow indoors 8–10 (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
- Drying
- Sauce & paste
- Heirloom classic
- Novelty color
- Rare collector
- High flavor
Origin
Buena Mulata is an African-American heirloom that reached seed catalogues through the painter Horace Pippin, the same route as the Fish pepper. The pods start lavender-purple and pass through orange to red as they ripen, so a plant in late summer carries three colours at once. Pepper Joe's is the only one of the six shops in this catalogue that stocks it, and publishes no specifications, so the figures here are estimates.
Sources
Where to buy seeds
Prices rechecked dailyAll photos
Questions
How do you grow a Buena Mulata plant?
A Buena Mulata plant grows 3–4 ft (90–120 cm) tall (estimated). Space plants 18 in (46 cm) apart in rows 24 in (61 cm) apart (estimated). Start seed indoors 8–10 weeks before your last frost (estimated). It needs full sun.
How long does Buena Mulata take to mature?
Buena Mulata is ready in about 85 days from transplant.
How hot is Buena Mulata?
Buena Mulata sits in the medium range, about 10,000–30,000 Scoville heat units. Figures vary between seed sellers, so treat them as a band rather than a measurement.
Can Buena Mulata be grown in a container?
Yes — Buena Mulata grows well in a container of at least 20 L (5 gal).
Is Buena Mulata resistant to disease?
No disease resistance is documented for Buena Mulata.
