Capsicum chinense, commonly known as "yellow lantern chili", is a species of
chili pepper native to the
Americas.
C. chinense varieties are well known for their exceptional
heat and unique flavors. The hottest peppers in the world are members of the species
C. chinense, with
Scoville Heat Unit scores of over 1.5 million
. Some taxonomists consider them to be part of the species
C. annuum, and they are a member of the
C. annuum complex. However,
C. annuum and
C. chinense pepper plants can generally be identified by the number of flowers or fruit per node—one for
C. annuum and two to five for
C. chinense, though this method is not always correct. The two species can also hybridize and generate inter-specific hybrids.