So last spring I had a customer at the farmers market request a pepper for me to grow as a bedding plant this year. I generally do my best to fill these requests because I only get a handful and they often end up as good sellers. I've been looking on and off for the variety ever since, but now it's getting to the time when I need to knuckle down and decide what to order.

The lady was Asian and didn't speak English very well, so I'm assuming this is an Asian variety. She said it was very long, skinny, hot and red. I referred her too the Long Red Cayenne peppers (which have a sign with pictures) but she said, "No, no. Long, long. Very hot." She said the name of the variety but I didn't catch it and she didn't seem able to write it down. I suspect she wasn't sure she could transliterate it effectively. She said the peppers hang down, not up, and get twisty.

My guesses at this point are Thai Dragon or Prik Mun, but they don't seem long enough and aren't described as very hot. I've considered growing Joe's Long Pepper, even though it's originally Italian, since that seems closer to her description.

Does anyone have any ideas what it might be?

Thunder Mountain Longhorn? They are about the heat level of Cayenne and originate from China.

Ooh, those look just like the description! I didn't know they came from China originally. Those could be it.

I don't think a lot of peppers grow upward instead of downward. It reminds me of ornamentals like Medusa.

I grew that Thunder Mountain once - maybe 30-40k, so not real hot - but I can't picture it being used as a bedding plant. Like most, the plant grew up. The only peppers I've ever grown that grew out was a chiltepin type, and a gold bullet habanero, which later wasn't the same, and I didn't save seeds, unfortunately.