Hi, a few months ago I planted a few different varieties of pepper - whist 3 of them look very similar and I know exactly what they are the one in these images I have no idea! It now stands at 5' tall, has no flowers or buds forming, and might not even be a pepper - has anyone any idea what it is? Hopefully I've not been nurturing a giant weed for the past few months :(

I was hoping its a cayenne pepper as I do have a packet of seeds for them but internet searches don't show my plant

I don't know what it is, but it's not a pepper.

I thought about it some more and it reminds me of a berry cane. Could it possibly be some kind of berry?

It does remind me of a beautyberry plant.

It's definitely not a pepper, but it kind of reminds me of a chia plant.

Thanks for the replies - if its not a pepper I have no idea what it is so it's no longer getting my attention! Cheers folk

morriswa said:Thanks for the replies - if its not a pepper I have no idea what it is so it's no longer getting my attention! Cheers folk

@morriswa let it grow and flower, and continue posting. That way we will be able to get a positive identification.

For comparison:


I think it is chia.

Could be Green Pepper Basil:
Pepper Basil (Ocimum carnosum)

janinilulu said:Could be Green Pepper Basil:
Pepper Basil (Ocimum carnosum)

@janinilulu That doesn't quite match. Green pepper basil has glossy, light-green, smooth leaves. Note how this mystery plant has rough-looking, dark green leaves.

We do have chia seeds floating around in the house - guess one could have made its way into a plant pot. In fact after looking at Google pics of chia plants it looks identical.

Thanks for the info everyone, it looks like my mystery plant has a name!

morriswa said:We do have chia seeds floating around in the house - guess one could have made its way into a plant pot

Yes, they do germinate quite easily. This plant attracts lots of insects and pollinators like butterflies. Take good care of it because it will be well worth it! Chia plants can grow up to 6+ ft tall and can produce many flower spikes.

Do the leaves have any scent? That might help ID it.

janinilulu said:Do the leaves have any scent? That might help ID it.

It has already been ID'd as a chia

Gardener2493 said:

It has already been ID'd as a chia :)

No, not really. Until we see flowers/fruits and all questions are answered satisfactorily, its not identified. Chia is a Salvia - there's lots of them.

DaisyI said:

No, not really. Until we see flowers/fruits and all questions are answered satisfactorily, its not identified. Chia is a Salvia - there's lots of them.

OK, I am very sorry about that.

Not a problem. I applaud your enthusiasm.

DaisyI said:Not a problem. I applaud your enthusiasm.

Really? Thank you. But I'm going to take a break so I can cool down. I'm really surprised I'm not blocked yet.

You will discover square stems and stalk if it is a salvia… mint family. So if chai, stems will be square, but that would be true for the many other family members as well. (Thank goodness we don't need to use our nose for that identifying factor!)

I thought Intheswamp's observation on Beautyberry was rather keen, except leaf orientation along stem isn't same and veins are different.