Family: Anacardiaceae (Cashew Family)
Native range: Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay.
Description: A low-branching, bushy, spreading tree to 40 feet with compound, aromatic leaves with 5 to 9 opposite leaflets to 3 inches long. The leaf midrib is red. Flowers are tiny, whitish, and produced in compact clusters. Male and female flowers are produced on separate trees. Showy, compact clusters of red, 3/16-inch, round fruit are produced on female trees in fall and winter.
Ecological threat: Birds scatter the fruit of this aggressive tree into natural areas where it outcompetes native vegetation. It is a serious to the very existence of pine rockland habitat, forming a dense monoculture beneath the pine canopy. Once firmly established it resists fire. Brazilian pepper also invades hardwood forests and can form a dense, impenetrable barrier around forest margins. It is salt-tolerant and invades coastal strand, mangrove-buttonwood associations, and spoil islands. It is regarded as one of the most invasive plants in Florida. The poisonous fruit are known to intoxicate and even kill birds if eaten in quantity and, when ingested by people, the fruit and sap cause gastroenteritis and vomiting. Blooming trees are a major source of respiratory distress to many people and the sap can cause skin irritation, much like its relative poison-ivy.
Distribution in Florida: Throughout central and southern Florida.
Background: Brazilian pepper was introduced into Florida through the U. S. Department of Agriculture in 1898. It was enthusiastically promoted in the early 1920s by nurserymen George Stone of Punta Gorda and Henry Nehrling from Estero, Florida. It gained popularity under the nickname "Florida holly" because the female trees produce bright red holly-like fruit around Christmastime. Ironically, the poisonous fruit are sold in specialty shops as "pink peppercorns," which can cause stomach and intestinal problems.
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