Description
Chilli Name : ZIMBABWE BLACK – BIRDSEYE
Chilli Species : Annuum
Chilli Origin : Zimbabwe (Africa)
Chilli Heat : Very Hot (75,000–100,000 SHU)
Zimbabwe Black – Birdseye is an African Capsicum annuum variety from Zimbabwe, part of the wider Birdseye (or Piri Piri) family that spread across the continent via Portuguese traders in the 1500s. What sets this strain apart is its dramatic dark foliage and purple-black fruit, giving ornamental beauty to a chilli with authentic African fire.
Pods are small, upright, and conical, about 2–3 cm long, ripening from dark purple-black to deep red. The flavour is clean, sharp, and slightly fruity, with very hot heat in the 75,000–100,000 SHU range — typical of true Birdseye types. It’s a favourite for hot sauces, pickling, and drying, delivering fast, intense heat with a crisp finish.
Plants are compact and highly ornamental (40–60 cm tall), with dark green to purple foliage and heavy pod production throughout the summer. Despite its beauty, this is a serious cooking chilli, not just for show — grown widely across southern Africa for both home and commercial use.
Seeds germinate best at 26–30 °C, sprouting within 10–21 days. Plants mature in about 90–100 days, producing steadily until late autumn.
