The chile de árbol () is a small and potent Mexican chili pepper also known as bird's beak chile and rat's tail chile. These chilis are about long, and in diameter. Their heat index is between 15,000 and 30,000 Scoville units. The peppers start out green and turn a bright red color as they mature. Chile de árbol peppers can be found fresh, dried, or powdered. As dried chiles, they are often used to decorate wreaths because they do not lose their red color after dehydration. The chile de árbol is closely related to the cayenne and pequín, and shares their sharp, searing heat with a grassy, faintly smoky flavour.
Culinary use The chile de árbol is used both fresh and, more often, dried. The dried pods are toasted and ground into table salsas and thin, fiery sauces, steeped in oil, or reduced to a powder, and are a common source of heat in Mexican cooking.
Cultivation The plant was originally located in the tropical and subtropical regions of North and South America. It grows in a temperature range of 10 °C (54 °F) to 32 °C (90 °F) with an optimal average temperature of around 24 °C (75 °F) . In sandy or clayey soil the plant grows best within a depth of 50 to 150 cm of soil, preferably clay-loam or sandy-loam textures.
See also Bird's eye chili List of Capsicum cultivars
References