Yes and they are true to seed if you save the seeds from one of your peppers. Hybrid plants don't produce seeds that will be identical to the ones you grew. Seed Saver's is a good example of an heirloom operation. Good reading to see where all of the seeds they have originated from.
Applying the word "heirloom" to chili peppers doesn't really tell you anything. As far as I know, every chili pepper variety has been under constant cultivation (or grows wild) since it was discovered.
zackey makes a good point. If a pepper is a hybrid, it won't grow true from saved seeds. Don't get me wrong. Hybrid peppers sold by the big seed companies can be great, but you can't grow them from seed you've saved. On the other hand, most of the peppers we discuss on this forum do grow true from seed, and we can share seed with others. In the tomato world these are often called heirlooms.
There really isn't an official or set definition for heirloom when it comes to plants and is used rather loosely. Legend, a tomato bred by Dr. James Baggett at Oregon State University and released in 2008 comes true from seed, but no one would call it an heirloom. Yet some seed companies wrongly, list it as a hybrid.
I think the original poster was really asking if Datil was a hybrid pepper or not. Non-hybrids will come true from seed, within some set limit of traits. Hybrids are consistent in the F1 generation, but start to segregate out in the F2 generation. Actually growing out the F2 and succeeding generations can be fun and let one select out a new variety, or try to get as close to an open pollinated, true from seed, variety close to the hybrid grown from F1 seed.
Well, I have another reason for asking the question. When I was selling plants last year a woman showed up asking for "heirloom peppers". I told her I didn't know what an heirloom pepper was and she went away.
Guess I could have sold her just about anything...
> "As far as I know, every chili pepper variety has been under constant cultivation (or grows wild) since it was discovered."
In this context, Dennis, I think "heirloom" could have meant two things....first, a stable strain; and, second, an historical strain, such as Hungarian Wax that has been around a long time.
kentishman
DMForcier
Related Professionals
Allen Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Essex Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Hyattsville Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Saint Louis Park Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Anderson Landscape Contractors · Belvedere Park Landscape Contractors · Caldwell Landscape Contractors · Cockeysville Landscape Contractors · Hawaii Landscape Contractors · Kaneohe Landscape Contractors · Lexington Landscape Contractors · New Cassel Landscape Contractors · Ringwood Landscape Contractors · Saint George Landscape Contractors · Southbury Landscape ContractorszzackeyOriginal Author
sluginator
kentishman
Orekoc
DMForcier
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
sluginator
tom_92