Acrata
Also known as Goat's Weed · Black Cobra · Goat Weed Pepper · Black Cobra Pepper · Acrata el Viagra Natural
Acrata, also known as Goat's Weed or Black Cobra pepper, is a striking Venezuelan Capsicum annuum heirloom prized for its ornamental upright pods that ripen through green, black, and red stages and its distinctive pubescent foliage.
Growing
~90 days to maturity
Fruit size
5–8 cm
Flavor & Use
Neutral peppery taste with biting bitterness and little fruitiness or complexity; clean heat best appreciated when dried.
Culinary
About
Acrata produces slender, conical pods averaging 5–8 cm long that grow upright from the plant. They ripen from green to jet black to bright red, often displaying multiple colors simultaneously for strong visual appeal. The plant features fine silvery hairs on stems and leaves (a rare trait for C. annuum), is bushy and productive, and delivers medium heat with a neutral, slightly bitter peppery flavor best suited to dried or cooked applications.
Backstory
Acrata (meaning 'anarchic' or 'free' in Spanish) is a traditional Venezuelan heirloom Capsicum annuum variety, also known as Goat's Weed or Black Cobra. The name Goat's Weed refers to its fuzzy, silvery-haired foliage; it is prized for dramatic color-changing pods and has a reputation in Italian cultivation as 'el Viagra Natural' due to folk aphrodisiac lore.
Appearance
Growing
Heritage
Nothing reputable documents a pedigree for this pepper.