Szechwan

Szechwan is a Capsicum annuum chilli sold under the older Western spelling of Sichuan, referring to the Chinese province. It appears in seed catalogues as a long, slender, hot chilli associated with Chinese cooking. No breeder or formal release record is documented, and the name functions as a geographic trade label rather than a traditional Chinese varietal name.

Plants typically reach about 60 to 75 centimetres tall. Pods are pendant and slender, usually around 9 to 11.5 centimetres long and 6 to 9 millimetres wide, ripening from green to red. Harvest is commonly described as midseason, around 70 to 80 days after transplanting.

Heat is generally described as hot, though published SHU values are inconsistent and not lab tested for this exact name. Estimates usually range between about 30,000 and 50,000 SHU. A single value of 40000 SHU is used here as a midpoint that reflects repeated catalogue descriptions.

Seed listings associate this pepper with stir fries, pickles, and dishes marketed in Western countries as Szechwan style. The long, thin pods are suited to drying, slicing, and quick cooking in oil. There is no clear documentation tying this exact named entry to a specific traditional Sichuan landrace.

The spelling Szechwan reflects older romanisation systems rather than modern pinyin spelling. The name appears primarily in Western seed trade and may cover more than one closely related long, thin Chinese annuum line.