- Open-pollinated
- Hot
- 85 days to maturity (from transplant)
- 30,000–50,000 SHU
- Purple
NuMex Twilight
Open-pollinated hot pepper from United States, 1994. Small thin-walled pods with sharp heat, grown as much for the four-colour display as for the kitchen. Ready in about 85 days from transplant.
Single source · Updated Sep 19, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.
At a glance
- Heat
- Hot 30,000–50,000 SHU
- Pod
- Elongated <1 oz (1–3 g) (estimated)
Small erect pods standing up from the stem, all four colour stages visible on the plant at once.
- Species
- Capsicum annuum
- Days to harvest
- 85 days from transplant · Mid-late
- Plant height
- 1½–2 ft (46–61 cm) Compact
- Spacing
- 18 × 18 in (46 × 46 cm) (estimated)
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Position
- Handles open positions
- Growing sites
- Greenhouse · Open ground · Container
- Container growing
- Balcony friendly min. 3 gal (15 L) pot (estimated)
- Difficulty
- Easy-moderate (estimated) 2/5
- Skin
-
- Purple
- Yellow
- Orange
- Red
Heat
Scoville heat units
Hot
NuMex Twilight Scoville heat units: 30,000–50,000 SHU
Properly hot, the Tabasco, Cayenne Purple and Aji Amarillo band, with Chiltepin at the top of it. Used in small amounts, seeds removed if you want less.
Flavor
“Small thin-walled pods with sharp heat, grown as much for the four-colour display as for the kitchen.”
Growing calendar
85 days from transplant Mid-late
Timing shown for temperate climates; sow indoors 7–9 (estimated) weeks before your last frost date. Look up your last frost date by ZIP code →
Disease resistance
- CMV Cucumber mosaic virus
Uses & tags
- Drying
- Sauce & paste
- Novelty color
- Container star
- Gift worthy
- Rare collector
Origin
NuMex Twilight was bred by P. W. Bosland, J. Iglesias and M. M. Gonzalez at New Mexico State University and released in 1994, from New Mexico Capsicum Accession 10488 originally collected in Jalisco, Mexico. The Vegetable Cultivar Descriptions compendium records it as an open-pollinated ornamental type: a compact plant with white flowers and green foliage, carrying erect fruit that turn purple, then yellow, then orange and finally red, with resistance to cucumber mosaic virus. Because all four stages sit on the plant at once, a single plant looks like four varieties. The release was published in HortScience 29:1092.
Sources
Where to buy seeds
Prices rechecked dailyAll photos
Questions
How do you grow a NuMex Twilight plant?
A NuMex Twilight plant grows 1½–2 ft (46–61 cm) tall. Space plants 18 in (46 cm) apart in rows 18 in (46 cm) apart (estimated). Start seed indoors 7–9 weeks before your last frost (estimated); it germinates in 7–10 days. It needs full sun.
How long does NuMex Twilight take to mature?
NuMex Twilight is ready in about 85 days from transplant.
How hot is NuMex Twilight?
NuMex Twilight sits in the hot range, about 30,000–50,000 Scoville heat units. Figures vary between seed sellers, so treat them as a band rather than a measurement.
Can NuMex Twilight be grown in a container?
Yes — NuMex Twilight grows well in a container of at least 15 L (3 gal).
Is NuMex Twilight resistant to disease?
NuMex Twilight carries documented resistance to Cucumber mosaic virus.
