A fresh crop of ornamental chile peppers is now on sale at New Mexico State University’s Chile Pepper Institute.

Ornamental chile peppers are decorative plants bred for appearance rather than flavor and come in an assortment of colors and shapes.

The varieties available at the Chile Pepper Institute include NuMex April Fools, NuMex Valentine's Day, NuMex Halloween, NuMex Twilight, NuMex Easter and NuMex Cinco de Mayo – all developed by the NMSU Chile Pepper Breeding Program. 

The plants may be purchased at the Chile Pepper Institute Gift Shop in Gerald Thomas Hall, 940 College Drive, Room 265, for $5 each between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The gift shop has reopened to the public. Curbside pickup is available on request.

“Our ornamental chile peppers are perfect for outdoor pots, mixed planting in containers, borders, or on sunny windowsills to add a little late summer color. Customers also purchase them as table centerpieces and gifts,” said Liza Lopez, Chile Pepper Institute program coordinator. 

All proceeds from chile sales benefit chile pepper research and education at NMSU. For more information, contact 575-646-3028 or cpi@nmsu.edu, or visit https://cpi.nmsu.edu.