Buena Mulata Chilli Seeds – 10 Fresh Seeds
Quite a fantastic and rare heirloom chilli plant, Buena Mulata is ideal for pots or in the ground. The pods start off purple and stay this for a while and then ripen through different shades of orange until its final deep red colour.
It can be quite a productive plant and does well in pots but if in the ground and with a good growing season it can reach 4 – 5 feet in height.
The Remarkable Story of Buena Mulata
Buena Mulata is far more than just a beautiful chilli pepper. It is a rare heirloom variety that survived thanks to the efforts of a celebrated American artist and a family who recognised its importance.
The story begins with Horace Pippin (1888–1946), one of America’s most respected African-American folk artists. Pippin was known for his paintings depicting everyday life, history and his own experiences as a soldier during the First World War. Alongside his artwork, he was also a keen gardener who grew a collection of unusual vegetables and peppers.
Among the varieties he cultivated was an extraordinary purple chilli pepper known as Buena Mulata. Before his death, Pippin shared seeds with his friend H. Ralph Weaver, a Pennsylvania horticulturist and seed enthusiast who carefully preserved many unusual plants.
For decades, the seeds remained tucked away within the Weaver family’s collection. As older generations passed on, many heirloom varieties disappeared forever, but thankfully the Buena Mulata seeds survived.
Years later, Ralph Weaver’s grandson, William Woys Weaver, a renowned food historian, author and seed conservationist, rediscovered the forgotten pepper. Realising its historical significance and unique beauty, he grew the seeds and reintroduced Buena Mulata to gardeners, preventing the variety from being lost forever.
Today, Buena Mulata is regarded as one of the most distinctive chilli peppers in cultivation. The plants produce purple flowers and slender pods that transform through a spectacular range of colours as they mature. Immature fruits begin as a creamy lavender, deepen to a rich purple, then gradually change through peach and orange before finally ripening to a deep red.
The variety is also believed to share historical roots with the famous Fish Pepper, another heirloom pepper associated with African-American gardeners and cooks from the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.
Every Buena Mulata plant grown today represents a living piece of horticultural history. Without Horace Pippin sharing his seeds, Ralph Weaver preserving them, and William Woys Weaver rediscovering them decades later, this remarkable pepper may have disappeared forever.
We are proud to continue growing and preserving this beautiful heirloom variety, helping to ensure its story continues for future generations of chilli growers.
LAPi –
Highly recommended to start, easy to germinate, grows fast and strong, and you will also see the production peppers soon.