Capsicum chinense.

A pepper misnamed twice over. Its species, Capsicum chinense, was named in 1776 by the botanist Nikolaus von Jacquin, convinced it came from China; it actually comes from the Amazon basin and the Antilles. And its common name, habanero, means “from Havana,” though Cuba was never its centre of production: it's the Yucatán peninsula, in Mexico, that has grown it for centuries and still supplies most of it. Two geographical errors fossilized in the name of one of the world's most recognizable peppers.

Small lantern- or bonnet-shaped fruits full of folds, 3 to 5 cm, pale green at first then brilliant orange at full maturity, carried in abundance on a bushy plant. The heat is serious, 100,000 to 250,000 Scoville units — ten to forty times a jalapeño. But reducing the habanero to its strength would be to miss the point: what really distinguishes it from cayenne or serrano is its perfume, frankly fruity, floral, with notes of apricot and citrus that arrive BEFORE the heat. That's why it's irreplaceable in the sauces of the Caribbean and the Yucatán, in a mango or pineapple sauce, in a Jamaican jerk, in a Yucatec xnipec with red onion and sour orange juice. A quarter of a fruit is enough to perfume a whole pot.

Grower's tip: it's the slowest of all peppers, from sowing to plate. Germination alone can take 3 weeks and demands sustained heat of 28 °C — a heat mat isn't a luxury but a condition. Start indoors 10 weeks before last frost, minimum. At harvest and in the kitchen: gloves, really, and don't touch your eyes before washing your hands with soap — capsaicin doesn't come off with plain water. The fruits freeze whole without blanching and keep a full year: grate them straight from frozen into a simmered dish, which lets you dose the heat to the gram.

• Open-pollinated. Largely self-pollinating, but crosses possible with other nearby Capsicum chinense; isolate or bag the flowers for seed saving.
• Height: 60 to 90 cm, bushy habit.
• Maturity: about 80 days after transplant at the green stage, about 100 days at full orange colour.
• Heat: 100,000 to 250,000 Scoville units.
• Exposure: full sun, warmth, the warmest spot available.
• Rich, well-drained, warm soil. Space plants 45 to 60 cm apart.
• Start indoors at least 10 weeks before last frost, at 28 °C on a heat mat. Slow germination, up to 3 weeks. Transplant once nights have stabilized above 12 °C.