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National Invasive Species Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Home / Terrestrial Invasives / Terrestrial Plants / Brazilian Peppertree

Brazilian Peppertree

View all resources
Brazilian pepper tree - Invasive.org
Brazilian peppertree, fruit clusters - Photo by Stephen D. Hight; USDA, Agricultural Research Service
Scientific Name: 
Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi (ITIS)
Common Name: 
Brazilian peppertree, Christmas berry, Florida holly, broad leaf pepper tree
Native To: 
South America (Hight et al. 2002)
Date of U.S. Introduction: 
1840s (Hight et al. 2002)
Means of Introduction: 
Introduced as an ornamental (Hight et al. 2002)
Impact: 
Forms dense, monospecific stands that crowd out native species; possibly produces chemicals that inhibit the growth of native species (Meyer 2011)

Spotlights

Partner Agencies Release Insect to Control Invasive Brazilian Peppertree (Jul 16, 2019)

South Florida Water Management District.

Several local and federal agencies today took another step in protecting America's Everglades by releasing an insect reared to combat the invasive Brazilian peppertree. The insects, known as thrips, were reared as part of a joint partnership between the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the National Park Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) to combat invasive plants in South Florida's ecosystem.

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) - Brazilian Peppertree
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Provides state, county, point and GIS data. Maps can be downloaded and shared.

Images

Google Images - Brazilian Peppertree
Google.
Invasive.org - Brazilian Peppertree
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Plants of Hawaii - Brazilian Peppertree
Starr Environmental.

Videos

SFWMD Supports New Bug to Battle Brazilian Pepper

Google. YouTube; South Florida Water Management District.

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source. Or, to display all related content view all resources for Brazilian Peppertree.

Council or Task Force
Invasive Plants of California's Wildlands - Schinus terebinthifolius

California Invasive Plant Council.

In online book: Bossard, C.C., J.M. Randall, and M.C. Hoshovsky (Editors). 2000. Invasive Plants of California's Wildlands. University of California Press. Berkeley, CA
Partnership
Global Invasive Species Database - Schinus terebinthifolius (tree)
IUCN. Species Survival Commission. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - Brazilian Peppertree
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Invasive Species Compendium - Schinus terebinthifolius
CAB International.
Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER) - Schinus terebinthifolius
USDA. FS. Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry.
Texas Invasives Database - Schinus terebinthifolius
TexasInvasives.org.
The Quiet Invasion: A Guide to Invasive Species of the Galveston Bay Area - Brazilian Peppertree

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Galveston Bay Estuary Program; Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC).

Weeds Australia - Broad-leaf Pepper Tree (Schinus terebinthifolius)

Centre for Invasive Species Solutions; Atlas of Living Australia; Australian Government. Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

Federal Government
Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) - Schinus terebinthifolius
USDA. FS. Rocky Mountain Research Station. Fire Sciences Laboratory.
Indian River Lagoon Species Inventory - Schinus terebinthifolius
Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce.
PLANTS Database - Brazilian Peppertree
USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center.
U.S. National Plant Germplasm System - Schinus terebinthifolia

USDA. ARS. National Genetic Resources Program. GRIN-Global.

International Government
NSW WeedWise: Broad-leaf pepper tree
New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (Australia).
Invasive Plants: Restricted Invasive Plants - Broadleaved Pepper Tree

Business Queensland (Australia).

State and Local Government
Weed Alerts: Brazilian Pepper
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Academic
Weed Control in Natural Areas in the Western United States: Peppertrees (2013) (PDF | 256 KB)
University of California. Weed Research and Information Center.
See also: Weeds in Natural Areas for more information sheets
Weeds of Hawai'i's Pastures and Natural Areas: An Identification and Management Guide - Schinus terebinthifolius (2003) (PDF | 240 KB)
University of Hawaii. College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.
See also: Weeds of Hawaii for more species guides
EDIS Topic - Brazilian Pepper-Tree
University of Florida. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension.
Electronic Data Information Source - publication resources
Introduced Species Summary Project - Brazilian Peppertree
Columbia University. Center for Environmental Research and Conservation.
Plant Profile: Schinus terebinthifolia

University of Florida. IFAS. Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants.

TAME Brazilian Pepper Tree

University of Florida. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension. TAME Invasives Portal.

Citations

  • Hight, S.D., J.P. Cuda, and J.C. Medal. 2002. Brazilian Peppertree. In: R. Van Driesche et al. (Eds.), Biological control of invasive plants in the eastern United States (FHTET-2002-04). Morgantown, West Virginia: U.S. Forest Service Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team.
  • Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Schinus terebinthifolius. [Accessed Sep 10, 2014].
  • Meyer, R. 2011. Schinus terebinthifolius. In: Fire Effects Information System. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.