Schinus

Scientific name

Schinus L.

Common names

Brazilian pepper, Brazilian pepper tree, broadleaf pepper tree, Christmas berry, Brazilian holly, Florida holly, aroeira, false pepper

Family

Anacardiaceae

Similar genera

Annona, Cephalanthus, Pachira, Salix

Native distribution

Schinus terebinthifolia is native to tropical South America (Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay)

Species cultivated

Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi

Adventive distribution

Schinus terebinthifolia is introduced into the United States, Africa, Mediterranean Europe, Australia, New Zealand, southern Asia, and some South American countries where it is not native.

Weed status

Schinus terebinthifolia is a significant weed in various countries.

Habit

shrub to tree

Brief description

Large shrub. Bark gray, smooth, often becoming furrowed with age; branches wide-spreading young stems finely hairy, with small white lenticels; sap aromatic (‘peppery’ or ‘turpentine’), resinous, turning black when exposed to air. Leaves alternatealternate:
(adj) (of leaves) bearing one leaf per node; placed singly on the stem at different heights
, compoundcompound:
(adj) with two or more like parts, as in a compound leaf; divided into two or more subsidiary parts or orders, as in a compound inflorescence
(imparipinnate); petiolatepetiolate:
(adj) relating to or in the form of a petiole; bearing petioles
; rachisrachis:
(n) the main axis of, e.g., a compound leaf or an inflorescence
often narrowly winged; pungent aroma when crushed. Leaflets 3 to 15; sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
or nearly so; ellipticalelliptical:
(adj) in the form of an ellipse (oval)
to oblongoblong:
(adj) two to four times longer than wide, with +/- parallel sides
, glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
; margins entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
to finely toothed; upper surface dark shiny green, with prominent pale veins, pale green below. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
a branched paniclepanicle:
(n) an indeterminate, branched (often much-branched) inflorescence; the ultimate units may be of a different inflorescence type
in axils on the distal portion of branches; bracts triangular to lanceolatelanceolate:
(adj) lance-shaped; widest point below the middle, tapering to the apex
, margins ciliateciliate:
(adj) with a marginal fringe of stiff hairs
; pedicelspedicels:
(n) the stalk of a single flower in an inflorescence, or of a grass spikelet
short. Flowers small; sepals 5, green; petals 5, ovateovate:
(adj) egg-shaped in outline; generally with the broad end at or near the base
, white. Fruit a fleshy drupedrupe:
(n) fleshy indehiscent fruit in which the seed or seeds are surrounded by a hardened endocarp (as in a cherry)
resembling a ‘berry’, spherical, bright glossy red; pulp brown, aromatic; one-seeded; seed ellipticelliptic:
(adj) in the form of an ellipse (oval)
, hard, light brown.

Natural habitat

tolerant of a wide range of habitats; mesic to seasonally flooded sites, along waterways, hammocks, wetlands, riparianriparian:
(adj) growing by rivers or streams; of, adjacent to, or living on, the banks of a river, lake, pond, etc.
and mangrove forests

Additional comments

Schinus terebinthifolia is in the same family as poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans (L.) Kuntze); its aromatic sap can cause a variety of skin reactions from a rash, lesions resembling second-degree burns, to swelling of the face and eyelids.