McMahon's Texas Bird Pepper

Thomas Jefferson first obtained seeds of the Texas bird pepper in 1812 from Captain Samuel Brown, who was stationed in San Antonio. Jefferson recorded planting this pepper in pots and in the kitchen garden in 1814.¹ Jefferson had high hopes that the bird pepper would prove hardier than other species and sowed the seed in pots and in square XII of the Monticello vegetable garden. In 1813, he forwarded seeds to Philadelphia nurseryman Bernard McMahon of Philadelphia, who popularized the bird pepper as an ornamental pot plant in Pennsylvania and played a key role in spreading this namesake plant around the U.S.² The Texas bird pepper is a lush, compact plant (one foot high) covered in early fall with tiny, quarter-inch, red-orange peppers. A native of southwest Texas, Mexico, and Central America, it had potentially important medicinal and culinary qualities. Samuel Brown said, "The Spaniards use it in fine Powder & seldom eat anything without it. The Americans . . . make a pickle of the green Pods with Salt & Vinegar which they use with Lettuce, Rice, Fish, etc." It is a tender ornamental vegetable with petite, sparkling red, berry-like peppers covering the plant from mid-summer through fall. 

In Bloom at Monticello is made possible by support from The Richard D. and Carolyn W. Jacques Foundation.

Further Sources

• Hatch, Peter J. "McMahon's Texas Bird Pepper: A Pretty Little Plant." Twinleaf (January 1996).
• Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants.
• Weaver, William Woys. Heirloom Vegetable Gardening: A Master Gardener's Guide to Planting, Seed Saving, and Cultural History. New York: Henry Holt, 1997.