Roxa Lantern

Roxa Lantern is a Capsicum chinense hybrid created from Cheiro Roxa × Scarlet Lantern. The cross was discovered by Rebecca Toubol after growing Cheiro Roxa seed originally sent by Jes Christensen, and subsequent selections focused on stabilising a more rounded lantern-style pod shape. Early growers reported seeing both elongated and lantern-shaped phenotypes, so selections were made toward the lantern form.

Pods are typically listed around 2.5–7.5 cm long with a rounded lantern shape. Colour expression is one of the defining traits. Immature fruit may show dark green, purple, or nearly black tones. Mature pods are commonly described as purple with peach tones or as a mix of pink and orange with purple mottling depending on the selection and plant. Because the line is still somewhat variable, sellers frequently warn that colour intensity and patterning can differ between plants.

Foliage is also distinctive, often described as very dark green to purple or blackish, giving the plant an ornamental appearance. For that reason, Roxa Lantern is frequently grown as an edible ornamental pepper as well as for culinary use.

Heat descriptions vary widely. Some sellers simply describe it as habanero-level heat, while others give ranges roughly around 200000–400000 SHU. The Roxa Lantern Black variant is sometimes listed between 300000 and 500000 SHU, while one European listing claims up to 1000000 SHU, which does not align with most other descriptions. A value of 300000 SHU is used here as a central estimate consistent with the repeated habanero-level framing.

Plant size is often reported around 70–120 cm tall with a growing season of roughly 90–120 days. Grower notes also mention the plants being tall and moisture tolerant. Flavour descriptions from seller listings typically note a pepper-forward taste with mild fruitiness and crisp texture.