NuMex Las Cruces Cayenne

Also known as NuMex Las Cruces · Las Cruces Cayenne · Cayenne Las Cruces

NuMex Las Cruces Cayenne is a Capsicum annuum stabilized from Las Cruces, United States. Capsi’s sourced range is 17,400 SHU (Official breeder). Flavor is sweet, aromatic, earthy. Used for fresh cooking, dried powder, fermented mash for Louisiana-style hot sauce. Heat is a range, not a single marketing number.

NuMex Las Cruces Cayenne is an open-pollinated cayenne from New Mexico State University, grown for early yield and the fermented mash used in Louisiana-style hot sauce. Plants also carry resistance to beet curly top virus.

Growing

~76 days to maturity

Fruit size

15–17 cm

Flavor & Use

Dried powder is sweet and aromatic. Fresh fruit has a clean cayenne bite. Smoked pods pick up a sweet, smoky note.

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Culinary

fresh cookingdried powderfermented mash for Louisiana-style hot sauce

About

Ripe pods turn bright red, about 6 to 7 inches long and an inch across the shoulder, wider than a slim cayenne and easy to pull off the stem. Plants stand 24 to 35 inches and fruit in roughly 76 days after transplant. Use them fresh, dry them for powder, or chop them with salt and ferment a mash.

Backstory

Paul W. Bosland released this cayenne from the New Mexico State University chile program in 2010 after three years of trials at the Leyendecker Plant Science Research Center. It is named for Las Cruces. Curly top resistance showed up during the 2005 virus year in southern New Mexico and was later confirmed in controlled inoculations at the USDA-ARS lab in Kimberly, Idaho. Commercial seed went through Jurado Inc. in Las Cruces, with sample packets from the Chile Pepper Institute.

Appearance

ShapeTapered
ColorGreen · Red
Size15–17 cm
WallMedium
SkinWrinkled

Growing

SunFull
WaterModerate
ClimateArid subtropical
Days to maturity76 days
Plant height61–89 cm
Germination7–21 days
Spacing61 cm

Heritage

Explore

NuMex Las Cruces Cayenne is a stabilized line from Cayenne Thick and Mesilla.

Paul W. Bosland and Carl A. Strausbaugh, New Mexico State University · 2010

Parents

Sources

FAQ

How hot is NuMex Las Cruces Cayenne?
Capsi’s sourced range is 17,400 SHU (Official breeder). 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 NuMex Las Cruces Cayenne taste like?
Dried powder is sweet and aromatic. Fresh fruit has a clean cayenne bite. Smoked pods pick up a sweet, smoky note.
How do I grow NuMex Las Cruces Cayenne?
NuMex Las Cruces Cayenne: about 76 days to maturity, arid subtropical climate, full sun.
What can I substitute for NuMex Las Cruces Cayenne?
Cayenne Thick, Carolina Cayenne, Charleston Hot