Royal Black

Tasty, hot, and elegant. [Introduced in 1995 by SESE. Original seed sent by Carolyn Male.] 'Royal Black' makes a beautiful backdrop for a bed of flowers. For culinary use, the red fruits make a convincing and long lasting impression on the palate - definitely on the dark side of the "Force"! We use the fruits (both purple and red) in colorful hot vinegars. The foliage and stems are dark-purple, almost black with an occasional variegated growing tip of green, purple, and creamy white. The undersides of the leaves are green with purple venation. The red fruits add a further accent, appearing like crown jewels on a botanical tapestry of deep purple. Bullet-shaped fruits measuring 1/2" wide by 1-1/4" high, are borne upright on 3 foot well-branched plants, Foliage has an oriental quality.