Schinus molle - Pepper tree

Pepper tree (Schinus molle) is an evergreen tree native to South America, long naturalized as an ornamental and street tree across Mediterranean-climate regions including California, Spain, and Australia, with some documented invasive potential.¹ Its dried, roasted berries are used as a peppercorn substitute (“pink pepper”), and a gum exuded from the bark is chewed.²

Inputs

• Hardiness zone 8²
• Hardiness zone 9²
• Hardiness zone 10²
• Hardiness zone 11²
• Hardiness zone 12²
• Full sun²
• Well drained soil²
• Moist soil²

Outputs

• Human food²
• Medicinal use²

Type

• Tree
• Evergreen

Functions

• Fire resistance³⁴

Footnotes

1. Schinus molle profile, California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) ↩

2. Schinus molle | Plants for a Future ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹

3. Fire-Resistant Plants, NBC San Diego, citing the Walter Andersen Nursery fire-wise plant list ↩

4. Firewise Plants, Napa County Firewise, listed genus-wide as “Schinus spp. – Pepper Tree” ↩