Mississippi

Did a Mississippi man grow the world’s tallest pepper plant? Cayenne might break record

Published

11 months ago

January 25, 2025

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Did a Mississippi man grow the world’s tallest pepper plant?

Henry Pope, the lead grower and plant geneticist for Mississippi Foundation for Renewable Energy, worked to cross-pollinate specific peppers for seven years. He thinks he has a world record holding cayenne and is waiting on confirmation from the Guinness Book of World Records.

Pope started the project seven years earlier and six generations of plants earlier. “The original parent plants were a variety of long cayenne produced by myself for Mississippi Foundation for Renewable Energy and a himo togarashi pepper.”

He said he spends a lot of time working in gardens, the greenhouse and a lab looking to develop open-pollinated, edible plants. Growing a record-holder wasn’t the original goal, but it became clear the opportunity was in sight with this one.

“We called it the record plant because I suppose we always assumed it would be the world’s tallest pepper plant (or I did), but that was more of a joke really,” he said.

How big is the world’s tallest pepper plant?

According to Guinness, the current title is held by Laura Liang in Irvine, California. Her cayenne pepper plant was 16 feet tall when it was two years old in 1999.

How tall is the Mississippi pepper plant?

Pope’s plant measured as almost 16.5 feet tall. If validated by the Guinness Book of World Records, it could set the new world record.

How did they measure it?

In November, four men measured and identified the plant using video and photos to record its height. Pope identified them as:

Willie Roses (an expert in measurements).
Willie C. R. Perteet (County supervisor in Attala County).
Tobias Campbell (forester).
Mark Terkanian (a plant specialist, who holds a Bachelor of Science in plant sciences from the University of Massachusetts).

They took video while one person ran a tape measure to the ground and someone held the end at soil level. In addition to continuous video, they took still camera shots at the top and bottom to verify where the tool was.

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Does he have gardening advice?

For Pope, the goal is sustainable, edible plants that help people be more self-reliant. His mother was a horticulturist, and his father ran a landscaping company and exotic animal breeding operation. The combination of experiences, paired with a passion for chemistry, led him to approaching plants from a scientific angle.

“My family and I live self sufficiently and have for a very long time. The work I do now is the cumulative product of these experiences in my life,” Pope said.

If you want a mega plant, he said, start with selective breeding.

“Learn how to save seeds from your crops in a professional manner. Anyone can do this with some research or simple training. We teach people to do this almost daily. Observe your crop for plants that have certain characteristics you desire. Save seed from that plant for a successive planting. Isolate these plants from others so they don’t cross pollinate, and repeat this action for multiple generations until you have something similar to what you want,” he said.

Or people can give a lot of care to stable-variety seeds sold by existing companies.

“You can do anything you put your mind to. In my profession, I see people do just that every day in various ways,” he said.

Mississippi man isn’t done with the project

“Sometimes when you attempt to achieve one particular goal, another opportunity arises. This happens quite often really, not just in genetics, but in most scientific endeavors,” Pope said.

The plan was to develop a plant for vertical gardening, like on balconies or in small yards — or something that can be trained horizontally on a fence.

“Opportunity for creating a world record of any kind was never the goal. The goal was the same as it always is for us, to produce a natural variety of edible plant that is beneficial to those who wish to become less reliant on the grocery store, but when working with genetics observation of the characteristics you have to work with is the first step,” Pope said.

The plant submitted to Guinness is an sixth generation plant. He plans to invest several more years into the project.

“I will consider the project complete when I reach a 12th generation. I believe through further selective breeding that I can beat my own record in the future,” Pope said.

Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.

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Mississippi

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Dec. 22, 2025

Published

9 hours ago

December 23, 2025

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Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Dec. 22, 2025

The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 22, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

20-21-22-24-25

Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

Midday: 1-8-7, FB: 3

Evening: 9-1-4, FB: 1

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

Midday: 0-6-1-7, FB: 3

Evening: 1-2-4-0, FB: 1

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Dec. 22 drawing

Midday: 13

Evening: 11

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

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Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.

Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:

Mississippi Lottery Corporation

P.O. Box 321462

Flowood, MS

39232

If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.

Mississippi Lottery Headquarters

1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.

When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?

Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Mississippi

No snow in a Mississippi Christmas – Meridian Star

Published

21 hours ago

December 22, 2025

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No snow in a Mississippi Christmas

Published 11:11 am Monday, December 22, 2025

From the looks of the weather forecast, it appears I am going to be disappointed again this year: no White Christmas, no one-horse open sleigh ride, and no chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

Our songs and traditions this time of year sure paint a pretty picture! Unfortunately, almost every Christmas season I’ve ever experienced in Mississippi has found me wearing shorts on Christmas Day. I think the forecast calls for a high of 74 degrees on Christmas Eve, 73 on Christmas Day, and 75 the day after.

Even though the weather disappoints me, I love my Christmas traditions. As silly as it sounds for a grown man, I love Christmas socks and wear them throughout the year. I grew up with a mom who made fresh eggnog. I haven’t had any homemade in years, but I purchase some every season.

In true Clark Griswold fashion, no Christmas would be complete without proper outdoor Christmas illumination. To make it even funnier, you can’t see my lights unless you come up our very rural driveway. Yes, the lights are just for me.

Speaking of Clark and company, my sweet indulgent wife always watches Christmas Vacation at least once each season with me. And then there are my other favorite Christmas shows and movies: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Charlie Brown’s Christmas, the Grinch, and Home Alone. (Also, I vote that Die Hard is a Christmas movie.)

And because my wife indulges me, I’ve been known to indulge her by sleeping through, er, I mean watching a Hallmark Christmas movie or two. She’s just blessed like that. What a guy I am!

But moving on from praising myself, when my oldest son got married, his wife brought us a new Christmas tradition: the Christmas Pickle ornament. You hide it on the tree, and whoever finds it gets to open the first present. I’m not sure that one has much of a future. Nevertheless, I unabashedly love Christmas.

Here’s my Christmas rule: “If you quit believing in Santa Claus, you get clothes for Christmas.” Not this guy. I’m all in it for the toys. (You may be familiar with the adage that the only difference between a man and a boy is the price of his toys—I resemble that remark.)

And in case you are wondering what to get me, my sizes are .45, 9mm, .233, .22, .380, and 12 gauge. Smile! It’s all in good fun.

In the immortal words of Clark Griswold, “Where do you think you’re going? Nobody’s leaving. Nobody’s walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We’re all in this together.”

And we are. May your blessings be great, and your opportunities and abilities to bless others be even greater.

Merry Christmas!

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!”

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Mississippi

Giant lazy Susans bring people together at Mississippi restaurant

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2025

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Giant lazy Susans bring people together at Mississippi restaurant

A unique style of dining, featuring a giant lazy Susan and tables seating upwards of 15 people, invites people to step out of their comfort zones to share a meal with strangers. (AP Video: Sophie Bates)