# Caloro

Also known as Cal Oro.
Species: Capsicum annuum.

Caloro is a Capsicum annuum selection from California, United States. Capsi’s sourced range is 500–5,000 SHU (Vendor Claim). Flavor is tangy, sweet, crisp. Used for Pickled whole or in rings, salsa, relish, giardiniera, hot sauce. Heat is a range, not a single marketing number.
About 1/7.1 the typical heat of a Capsi Jalapeño (31,902 SHU).

## Heat sources

- 1,000–5,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  True Leaf Market
  https://trueleafmarket.com/products/pepper-seeds-hot-caloro

- 1,000–5,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  HR Seeds
  https://www.hrseeds.com/product-page/caloro-pepper

- 1,000–5,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  SeedsNow
  https://www.seedsnow.com/products/pepper-hot-caloro

- 5,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  HR Seeds
  https://www.hrseeds.com/product-page/caloro-pepper

- 3,000–5,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  HR Seeds
  https://www.hrseeds.com/product-page/caloro-pepper

- 500–2,500 SHU · Vendor Claim
  Maxim Kaufman (2021) Organo Republic
  https://organorepublic.com/blogs/growing-guides/caloro-pepper

- 1,000–1,500 SHU · Vendor Claim
  chili-shop24
  https://www.chili-shop24.de/chili-zucht/chili-samen/schaerfegrad-0-3/1407/caloro-chili-samen

- 1,000–5,000 SHU · Vendor Claim
  Plant World Seeds
  https://www.plant-world-seeds.com/products/pepper-caloro-seeds

## Heritage

Selection

Caloro is a selection of an existing type. The parent isn't linked in Capsi yet.

Credit: Paul G. Smith, University of California, Davis · 1967

Parent:
- Unknown (Unknown parent)

UC Davis records and the 1967 California Agriculture release both credit Paul G. Smith with this TMV-resistant yellow wax. No published pedigree names a parent. Catalogs that call it a yellow jalapeño are describing the fruit, not a cross.

## Page sources

- [UC Davis memorial noting Paul G. Smith released Caloro](https://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/people/paul-smith)
- [UC Davis list of pepper releases: Caloro, Paul Smith, yellow wax](https://plantbreeding.ucdavis.edu/pepper-varieties-released)
- [1967 California Agriculture abstract announcing the Caloro release](https://doaj.org/article/33161f3a0ff84a438c9a7846c6a78b46)
- [CGC cultivar list: size, TMV resistance, similar to Santa Fe Grande](https://cucurbit.info/2016/06/pepper-a-l/)
- [Catalog listing naming Smith, fruit size, pickling use, and about 5,000 SHU](https://tomatogrowers.com/products/caloro-pepper)
- [Short wax class, yellow to red pods, plant height and uses](https://www.chileplants.com/search.aspx?ProductCode=CHICAL)
- [UC ANR Publication 7244 listing Caloro among California wax types](https://my.ucanr.edu/repository/a/?a=54052)
- [Open-pollinated growing notes and 1,000 to 5,000 SHU listing](https://trueleafmarket.com/products/pepper-seeds-hot-caloro)

## FAQ
### How hot is Caloro?

Capsi’s sourced range is 500–5,000 SHU (Vendor Claim). Capsi uses a sourced range and a trust tier, not a single marketing number. How we verify heat: https://web.thecapsi.app/learn/heat-and-capsaicin/how-we-measure-heat

### What does Caloro taste like?

Tangy and lightly sweet when yellow, with a firm wax-pepper crunch. Red-ripe fruit is a touch sweeter and warmer.

### How do I grow Caloro?

Caloro: about 75 days to maturity, temperate climate, full sun, hardiness zones 9-11.

### What can I substitute for Caloro?

Santa Fe Grande, Hungarian Wax, Jalapeño, Cascabella

Page: https://web.thecapsi.app/pepper/caloro
Catalog: https://web.thecapsi.app/data