Why does my bell pepper have a baby?

Source: Lucille Samson

Question: I was cutting peppers and I found a green growth inside a red bell pepper. Can you tell me if I can plant it and if so, how?

Lucille Samson

Answer: This is a fairly rare phenomenon, but one that does show up occasionally. It is actually a small pepper growing inside the mature pepper.

It’s called an “internal proliferation” and is an abnormal growth, a bit like a tumor in humans, but not harmful. Sometimes it forms a perfectly symmetrical miniature pepper, but in other cases, like yours, the pepper is misshapen and not as easy to recognize. The small pepper is, however, perfectly edible.

And no, you can’t use it to produce another pepper.

Why does my bell pepper have a baby?

What you see: A pepper growing inside a pepper.
What it is: A misfire in the pepper’s seed-making apparatus.
Eat or toss? Eat! Consider this bonus pepper.

Can you eat a pepper growing inside another pepper? Is that even what’s happening here? Here’s the story.

Mutant pepper? Pepper worms? Part of an evil pepper-driven plot to freak out home cooks and take over kitchens around the world?

They may look a little alarming, but I see these curious characters somewhat frequently and am happy to report that there’s nothing to worry about. You can eat the pepper, and its little mini pepper creatures too.

These formations are called “carpelloid structures” or “internal proliferations.” Ultimately they happen because, for some reason, the structures responsible for forming at least one of the pepper’s seeds went a bit haywire. Normally, ovules, a critical part of plant reproduction, develop into seeds. Peppers have lots of ovules, which is why they have lots of seeds. But in the cases pictured here, some ovules didn’t proceed as planned, likely due to genetics. So, instead of making a nice, tidy, little seed, the peppers skipped some steps and launched into growing some pepper tissue.

Given their unconventional growth, the “carpelloid structure” texture may be a bit different from the rest of the pepper, notes Chris Gunter, who specializes in vegetable production at North Carolina State University. But they’re still perfectly edible. So, you get a little more salad tonight.

Why does my bell pepper have a baby?

SOURCES:

  • Chris Gunter – Vegetable Production Specialist for the commercial vegetable industry in North Carolina – North Carolina State University.
  • BMC Plant Biology, 2011. Parthenocarpic potential in Capsicum annuum L. is enhanced by carpelloid structures and controlled by a single recessive gene
  • Britannica – Parthenocarpy
  • Christian Science Monitor – Have you ever found a pepper inside a pepper?
  • Bite Sized Biology – The Peculiar Case of the Puny Pepper

Strange vegetables

I have never seen a baby pepper growing inside another pepper before. Therefore I was intrigued when my daughter texted that something strange was in her bell pepper.

It’s a condition called Internal Proliferation or Carpelloid Formation and the small fruit is usually sterile. But the good news is that it is totally edible! The baby pepper inside varies in shape and size. They forms as anything from an almost identical but smaller fruit to a very irregular looking fruit. Whatever the shape, the exact reason for it is still uncertain, although it is likely to be genetics. It occurs in seed lines through natural selection, however it does not seem to be affected by external conditions like pests or the weather. Additionally, other reasons are thought to include rapid changes in heat or humidity or the use of ethylene gas which is used to speed up ripening of peppers.

Finding a baby pepper inside pepper

I had a peculiar text conversation with my daughter and here’s what we said.

Why does my bell pepper have a baby?

D. What is that?! Can I still eat the edges?!
M. Is it a baby pepper growing inside?
D. Oh maybe
M. I wouldn’t eat any of it unless it looks like veg too. I think it would put me off eating the whole thing.

Why does my bell pepper have a baby?

M. Have you tried cutting in to it?
D. No.
M. It looks even yuckier now!
D. I’m scared lol

Why does my bell pepper have a baby?

M. Oh that’s grim
D. Yes haha

D. Lol it’s freaking me out
M. Cut it in half and photo
D. That means touching it
M. Knife and fork?

Why does my bell pepper have a baby?

M. Well I’ll be.
D. The pepper looked totally normal from the outside.

Certainly I was wrong in my assumption that a pepper growing inside a pepper was inedible, because it turns out that it can be eaten without a problem. My lucky daughter got two for the price of one!

Internal proliferation, like the baby pepper inside pepper shown above, can occur in a variety of seeded fruits including egg plants (aubergine), tomatoes and citrus fruits. It seems to occur more in fruit that has been picked when not fully ripe and subsequently treated with ethylene gas to artificially ripen it for market.

Seeds develop from fertilized ovules. Normally, a fruit forms to protect the ovules if they have been fertilized and developing into young seeds.We usually discard the seeds from a pepper before we eat the outer fleshy part of the fruit. However, there are times when a fruit forms when there are no seeds present, this is called parthenocarpy. It occurs naturally or can be artificially induced.Parthenocarpy gives us seedless oranges and bananas without large seeds in them.

Why does my bell pepper have a baby?

Further reading, viewing and information

We don’t grow peppers as I have an allergy to them, but Shaun at Chillichump has lots of really useful advise about growing chillies and peppers.

You can find a list of all the vegetables, fruit and herbs that we grow at Byther Farm on the resources page What We Grow. Moreover, I’ve included links to suppliers of seeds and plants wherever possible.

Originally published 10th January 2016 and edited 11th December 2020

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Author of the bestselling 'Grounded – A Gardener's Journey to Abundance and Self-Sufficiency'.On less than an acre, she grows most of the food and drink her family enjoy each year, giving them food security, resilience and increased self-reliance. Liz regularly writes for Permaculture Magazine, teaches gardening and self-sufficiency skills and encourages thousands of people to take up their trowels and live their dreams through a vibrant YouTube Channel, Liz Zorab – Byther Farm.

Can I plant the baby pepper growing inside my pepper?

Sometimes it forms a perfectly symmetrical miniature pepper, but in other cases, like yours, the pepper is misshapen and not as easy to recognize. The small pepper is, however, perfectly edible. And no, you can't use it to produce another pepper.

Can I eat a bell pepper that has sprouted?

Given their unconventional growth, the “carpelloid structure” texture may be a bit different from the rest of the pepper, notes Chris Gunter, who specializes in vegetable production at North Carolina State University. But they're still perfectly edible.

Are baby bell pepper seeds edible?

It's OK to eat bell pepper seeds or add them to your cooking. As long as these seeds aren't black or covered with mold, they are edible and have no toxic compounds. While you may not enjoy the taste, they won't get you or your family sick.

Do bell pepper plants reproduce?

Green Pepper Pollination Pepper plants are self-pollinating, so they produce fruits using their own pollen. The blooms produce both pollen and nectar, but do not have a scent.