first things first, that dyed red mulch is no bueno for peppers.

The pods look like jalapenos maybe?

Angie

Looks more like a Serrano to me. It is interesting that you got it so tall. I have habaneros that are 2-3 years old, but they spread out rather than get tall. Mine are more like bushes than trees, but I would like to have some tall ones.

Lars

I have three orange tree habs. One is like yours and is putting out red pods the other two are putting out orange pods that are a little fatter. They also came from the seed swap.

I think the orange tree hab is a de arbol/ hab cross and not a true hab like you may expect.

I am probably the source for a lot of the Habanero De Arbol seeds over the years.

It is probably a mostly stable Chinense X Baccatum.

It originated from S.America - I forget where.

I first got seeds for it in around 2006 or so.

The original plant grew 12 ft. wide by easily as tall.
It had orange pods.

I got a few seeds over the years that grew red,different shaped pods on a tree shaped but smaller plant.

Orange pods are usually upturned while the red ones go from upturned to pendant.

Your picture looks like the red version.

Thanks for the background info. Its always interesting to get a story behind the seeds.

The story goes like this...

An employee of a grower I knew (out of biz now) went home for a vacation in S.America.
He brought back seeds for the orange habanero De Arbol so he could grow a plant for pods to eat at lunch.

Customers saw the 10ft.+ plant at the nursery and requested seedlings.
That was in 2005 I think.
They sold every plant they could grow in 2006.
Since here in Ca. we have no winter,the second year they couldn't give the seedlings away.
Every one had one already.
Some people just stopped growing it due to plant size or they were too hot.
Ya,before the super hot craze,they were considered pretty hot. :)

They stopped selling it for about 3 or 4 years.
My plant lived 2012 or so before broad mites killed it.
The plant the guy got the seeds from was said to be 15+ yrs. old.

The interest in seeds kept me busy trading and sasbe seeds over the years.
Now several vendors sell it,I supplied several of them with seeds.

A wierd thing about the tree is that spring and fall/winter pods tend to taste baccatum while summer pods have a slight chinense taste.
Red version doesn't taste like the orange version.

Both colors have a med. hot taste-your mileage may vary...

A lot of the warmer peppers in S.America are sometimes called Habanero this or that by the locals.Especially for landrace stuff.

Great info. Couple follow ups:
1. Will/Are these pods going to change color (been green ~ 10 days)
2. How does a "habanero" look like a cayenne (just odd to me)

Tks
Johnny

smokemaster,
I've got three in the ground (7') and one in a small pot (6') that I plan to overwinter. Pods are all orange and go from upright to pendant, no more than 2" long. Not too prolific of a producer. Pods sunburn in Texas because of the sparse foliage. The one in the pot is in the shade and really produces. Good flavor too. Have to kick it up with some Bhut when I make sauce...

As I said,the name Habanero is used as part of an unknown peppers name in a lot of places.
Even for non Chinense varieties.

Also I think the tree is a Hab. X Bac.

Since the flowers don't have specks in both the red and orange version , they may have used habanero for the name.
Though the orange pods do have some baccatum characteristics.

If your pods are Cayenne sized,you have a cross.
I don't/never grow Cayenne so those seeds,if Cayenne sized,didn't come from me.

smokie, where are you? CA? I thought you were on the east coast.

Dennis

California,born back east...