It is called Naga jolokia and looks innocent enough.

But the latest chilli to be discovered would take more than a pint of lager to wash down if it was ever used as an ingredient in a curry house on a Saturday night.

Just walking into the same room is said to make beads of sweat start running down the temples.

Naga jolakia was developed in India by defence experts looking for new ingredients for pepper-spray and other riot weapons.

Now staff at a Sussex garden centre have revealed that they have managed to grow a close relative of what is being billed as "fiery spice".

The white-hot chilli is one of 150 varieties grown at West Dean Gardens, near Chichester, by horticulturist and gardens supervisor Sarah Wain.

Before the Naga jolakia came along, the hottest-rated chilli in the world had been a Mexican variety, called Habanero.

As a guide for curry lovers, a Korma has a rating of 500 while a Vindaloo is 100,000, Habanero weighed in at 350,000 to 570,000, but the Naga jolokia has a rating of 855,000.

Mrs Wain grows her chillies in 13 Victorian glasshouses set in a walled garden at West Dean.

She said: "Hotness is only one aspect. Chillies are good for in terms of vitamin C and research is taking place into their medicinal properties."