Other conspecific taxa:

• Schinus molle var. areira (0 accessions)
• Schinus molle var. molle (0 accessions)

Synonyms:

• (=) Schinus huygan Molina

Common names:

• California peppertree  (Source: Dict Rehm) - English
• peppertree  (Source: F Guat) - English
• Peruvian peppertree  (Source: Herbs Commerce ed2) - English
• Peruvian-mastictree  (Source: Websters Dict) - English
• faux poivrier  (Source: Dict Rehm) - French
• molée des jardins  (Source: HerbSpices) - French
• poivrier d'Amérique  (Source: Dict Rehm) - French
• Pfefferbaum  (Source: Dict Rehm) - German
• aroeira-do-Amazonas  (Source: pers. comm.) - Portuguese (Brazil)
• aroeira-folha-de-salso  (Source: pers. comm.) - Portuguese (Brazil)
• aroeiro-mole  (Source: pers. comm.) - Portuguese (Brazil)
• corneiva  (Source: pers. comm.) - Portuguese (Brazil)
• pimenteira-do-Peru  (Source: pers. comm.) - Portuguese (Brazil)
• aguaribai  (Source: Dict Rehm) - Spanish
• molle  (Source: F Patag) - Spanish
• pimientero falso  (Source: Dict Rehm) - Spanish
• pirul  (Source: Dict Rehm) - Spanish
• rosépeppar  (Source: Kulturvaxtdatabas) - Swedish

Economic Importance:

• Food additives: flavoring (fruits used after drying fide F Ecuador; F Guat)
• Environmental: agroforestry (fide Invasive Pl Spec)
• Environmental: ornamental (fide Zander ed13)
• Materials: wood (fide Invasive Pl Spec)
• Medicines: folklore (fide Herbs Commerce ed2; CRC MedHerbs ed2)
• Vertebrate poisons: mammals (fide Lampe & McCann)
• Weed: potential seed contaminant (fide Econ Pl Aust; Invasive Pl Spec)

Distributional Range:

Native

Southern America

• BRAZIL: Brazil [Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina]
• WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia, [Cochabamba, La Paz, Potosi, Tarija] Ecuador, [Azuay, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Imbabura, Loja, Pichincha, Tungurahua] Peru [Ancash, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Cusco, Huanuco, Ica, Junin, La Libertad, Lima, Moquegua, Pasco, Tacna]
• SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, [Cordoba, Catamarca, Corrientes, Entre Rios, Jujuy, La Rioja, Misiones, Salta, San Luis, Santa Fe, Tucuman] Chile (n.), Paraguay, [Caaguazu, Guaira, Itapua, Misiones] Uruguay


Cultivated (widely cult.)

Adventive

Asia-Temperate

• WESTERN ASIA: Lebanon

Europe

• SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Italy
• SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Portugal, Spain


Naturalized

Africa

• NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Ethiopia
• SOUTHERN AFRICA: South Africa

Australasia

• AUSTRALIA: Australia
• NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand

Northern America

• United States

Pacific

• NORTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC: United States [Hawaii]

Southern America

• WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Ecuador [Galapagos Islands]

References:

1. Webster's third new international dictionary. 1961 (Websters Dict)
2. Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource on www.skud.info). 2012 (Kulturvaxtdatabas)
3. Allan, H. H. B. et al. Flora of New Zealand. 1961- (F NZeal)
4. Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45. 1993 (L Peru)
5. Correa, M. N. Flora patagonica. 1969- (F Patag)
6. Craker, L. E. & J. E. Simon, eds. Herbs, spices, and medicinal plants, 2 vols. 1986-1987 (HerbSpices)
7. Encke, F. et al. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage. 1984 (Zander ed13)
8. Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14. 2003 (Pl SAfr ed2)
9. Greuter, W. et al., eds. Med-Checklist. 1984- (L Medit)
10. Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. (pers. comm.)
11. Harling, G. & B. Sparre, eds. Flora of Ecuador. 1973- (F Ecuador)
12. Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards Flora of Ethiopia. 1989- (and Eritrea. 2000) (F Ethiop)
13. Jørgensen, P. M. & S. León-Yánez, eds. Catalogue of the vascular plants of Ecuador. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 75. 1999 (L Ecuador)
14. Killeen, T. J. et al. Guia de arboles de Bolivia. 1993 (Trees Bolivia)
15. Lampe, K. F. & M. A. McCann AMA handbook of poisonous and injurious plants. 1985 (Lampe & McCann)
16. Lazarides, M. & B. Hince CSIRO Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia. 1993 (Econ Pl Aust)
17. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000 (Herbs Commerce ed2)
18. Rehm, S. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants. 1994 (Dict Rehm)
19. Reitz, R., ed. Flora ilustrada catarinense. 1965- (F SCatarin)
20. Spichiger, R., ed. Flora del Paraguay. 1985- (F Parag)
21. Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark Flora of Guatemala. 1946-1976 (F Guat)
22. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. Flora europaea. 1964-1980 (F Eur)
23. Weber, E. Invasive plant species of the world: a reference guide to environmental weeds. 2003 (Invasive Pl Spec)
24. Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone, eds. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de la República Argentina. I. Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledonae), II. Dicotyledonae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60, 74. 1996, 1999 (L Argent)

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN-Taxonomy).
National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL: http://germoplasma.iniaf.gob.bo/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=70668. Accessed 7 junio 2026.