Midwest Midnight Orange Variegated

Midwest Midnight Orange Variegated is a modern ornamental Capsicum annuum cultivar from Midwest Gardener in the United States. Public sale listings describe it as the variegated version of Midwest Midnight Orange, with the seed release handled through Matt's Peppers. It belongs to the same dark ornamental line as Midwest Midnight Orange, but adds visible foliar variegation, with the lighter portions often taking on a pale purple tone rather than staying plain white or cream.

The plant is grown mainly for appearance. Breeder-linked descriptions present it as a small ornamental pepper well suited to containers, with very dark foliage, strong contrast between dark tissue and lighter variegated areas, and small round fruit that begin deep purple and ripen orange. Grower reports on plants in circulation also describe the ripe pods as orange with a slight remaining purple gradient, which matches its reputation as a dark-fruited ornamental that keeps some anthocyanin influence late into ripening.

Its identity in current circulation is tied to that combination of dark foliage, purple-toned variegation, and dark-to-orange fruit rather than to high productivity for culinary use. Midwest Gardener has described the non-variegated Midwest Midnight Orange as mostly ornamental, with relatively seedy fruit and an estimated heat around the 20,000 to 30,000 SHU range, and the variegated form is presented as the same pepper line with added variegation. The line is already being used in further breeding work, with breeder posts noting Variegated Midwest Midnight Orange as a parent in later F3 material, showing that it has already become a useful dark ornamental breeding stock as well as a standalone named pepper.