Mushroom Red

Mushroom Red, also sold as Red Cap Mushroom or Squash pepper, is an heirloom chilli recognised for its distinctive mushroom-cap pod shape. The fruit are commonly described as hanging downward with a squat, flattened, cap-like form, often compared in size to a golf ball. Listings describe pods ripening from lime green to bright red and ranging from about 2.5 cm long by 4.0 cm wide up to roughly 5.0 cm long and 5.0 cm across depending on the source and the specific seed line.

Plants are usually listed around 61.0 to 91.5 cm tall and are commonly described as productive over a long season, carrying many of the characteristic cap-shaped fruits.

Flavour descriptions are fairly consistent, usually described as fruity and spicy, and the pepper is often recommended for pickling, drying, and garnish use because the unusual pod shape holds up well and stands out visually.

There is noticeable name and data drift online. Some sellers label Mushroom Red as Capsicum chinense and compare it to habanero-type peppers, while others list it as Capsicum annuum. Heat values vary as well. Multiple sources cluster it around 25,000 to 50,000 SHU, while at least one Australian listing for Cap Mushroom Red claims about 200,000 SHU, which sits far outside the more common range and likely reflects either a different selection being sold under a similar name or an inflated listing figure. The value of 40000 SHU is used here because it sits within the most commonly repeated band.