- Heirloom
- Very hot
- 100 days to maturity (from transplant)
- 100,000–300,000 SHU
- Orange
Datil
Heirloom very hot pepper from United States. Habanero-level heat carried on noticeable sweetness, the reason St. Augustine builds its sauces on this pepper. Ready in about 100 days from transplant.
Single source · Updated Sep 19, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.
At a glance
- Heat
- Very hot 100,000–300,000 SHU
- Pod
- Elongated <1 oz (5–12 g) (estimated)
Small tapered pods ripening through green and orange to a deep yellow-orange.
- Species
- Capsicum chinense
- Days to harvest
- 100 days from transplant · Late
- Plant height
- 2–3 ft (60–90 cm) (estimated) Medium height
- 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
- Challenging (estimated) 4/5
- Skin
-
- Orange
- Yellow
Heat
Scoville heat units
Very hot
Datil Scoville heat units: 100,000–300,000 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
“Habanero-level heat carried on noticeable sweetness, the reason St. Augustine builds its sauces on this pepper.”
Growing calendar
100 days from transplant 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
- Sauce & paste
- Drying
- Canning
- Heirloom classic
- Hot climate
- Rare collector
- High flavor
Origin
Datil is tied to one town: St. Augustine, Florida, where it has been grown for well over a century and where local tradition credits Minorcan settlers with bringing it from the Mediterranean, though the pepper is a Capsicum chinense and its route there is disputed. What is not disputed is that it barely spread beyond that corner of Florida, which is why a pepper of habanero-level heat stayed a regional speciality. Sandia Seed Company lists it at 100,000 to 300,000 Scoville heat units and about 100 days from transplant. The heat arrives with unusual sweetness behind it, which is why the local sauces lean on it rather than on a habanero.
Sources
Where to buy seeds
Prices rechecked dailyLinks may earn us a commission at no cost to you. Prices checked Oct 16, 2026.
All photos
Questions
How do you grow a Datil plant?
A Datil plant grows 2–3 ft (60–90 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 germinates in 14–21 days. It needs full sun.
How long does Datil take to mature?
Datil is ready in about 100 days from transplant.
How hot is Datil?
Datil sits in the very hot range, about 100,000–300,000 Scoville heat units. Figures vary between seed sellers, so treat them as a band rather than a measurement.
Can Datil be grown in a container?
Yes — Datil grows well in a container of at least 20 L (5 gal).
Is Datil resistant to disease?
No disease resistance is documented for Datil.
