The plant has mostly a compact habit with an intermediate number of stems, and grows between 20 and 30 inches high. The leaves are ovate, medium green, fairly smooth, and about 3 inches long and 2 inches wide. The flower corollas are white with no spots. The pods are pendant, elongate, bluntly pointed, and measure between 2 and 12 inches. They are dark green, maturing to various shades of red.
Some ornamentals are yellow or brown.
Their heat ranges from quite mild to medium, between 500 and 2,500 Scoville Units. New Mexican Chile varieties offer various heat levels More than 40,000 acres of New Mexican chiles are under cultivation in New Mexico, California, Arizona, and Texas. The growing period is about 80 days, and each plant produces between 10 and 20 pods, depending on variety and cultural techniques. For chile plants to bear this much large fruit in New Mexico's desert climate, proper irrigation is crucial. But as the land races developed and the size of the pods increased, the food value of chiles became evident.