Elephant’s Trunk

Mild heat with classic cayenne-style pungency and a pleasant, straightforward chili flavor ideal for cooking and drying.

Elephant’s Trunk is a traditional open-pollinated Capsicum annuum from India. Plants produce slender, often slightly wrinkled or curved pods 15–25 cm long that hang pendant and ripen from pale or dark green to vivid red. The fruit shape strongly resembles an elephant’s trunk, giving the variety its name. Heat is mild (typically 6,000–10,000 SHU), similar to a hotter jalapeño or mild cayenne, with a classic chili flavor well suited to everyday cooking. Plants are productive, reaching 60–120 cm, and the long red pods are also valued as ornamentals. Excellent for Indian cuisine, drying into powder or flakes, salsas and pickling.

A traditional Indian Capsicum annuum variety prized for its distinctive long, curved pods that resemble an elephant’s trunk. It has been maintained as an open-pollinated heirloom by specialty seed catalogs for its high yields, ornamental value and suitability for Indian cuisine and spice powders. It is distinct from the Soviet-era Russian cultivar ‘Slonoviy Hobot’ (Maikop, 1952), which shares only the descriptive name.