Pronounciation: SKY-nus MOL-ley

Hardiness zones
Sunset 8, 9, 13-24 (difficult in zone 13)
USDA 9-11

Landscape Use: Weeping accent tree for parks, greenspaces, and large residential estates that sometimes performs poorly in lower desert landscapes; a true California transplant.

Form & Character: Open, lacy, spreading, yet with a strong pendulous habit, evokes Spanish or hacienda architecture, graceful.

Growth Habit: Evergreen, woody, broadleaf perennial tree, moderately fast to 40-feet tall with greater spread, young branches are strongly pendulous.

Foliage/Texture: Leaves strongly aromatic, bright to light green, glaborus, odd-pinnately compound, 15 to 41 narrow leaflets per leaf; fine texture.

Flowers & Fruits: Dioecious, yellow green to white flowers in terminal panicles; fruits are rose colored, small and rounded in clustered, elongated panicles, strongly aromatic.

Seasonal Color: Flowers in spring, followed by fruit in fall and winter

Temperature: High summer heat exacerbates iron chlorosis.

Light: Full sun

Soil: Well drained; however, moderately intolerant of soil alkalinty causes foliar iron chlorosis, especially if soils are heavily irrigated such as in a lawn.

Watering: Regular

Pruning: California pepper tree will keep local arborists employed. It suckers profusely at the base (epicormic shoots), so frequent removal is a must. Elevate canopy base (crown raise) rigorously to compensate for strong weeping habit. Needs extensive staking and training when young.

Propagation: Seed

Disease and Pests: Root rot pathogens in poorly-drained desert soils, black scale.

Additional comments: California pepper tree is well known in southern and central California where it was introduced originally by Spanish missionaries. However, its performance in central Arizona desert landscapes is generally poor because it is prone to moderate to severe leaf chlorosis (yellowing), especially if planted in wet sites such as a well-irrigated turf grass lawn.

Culinary and biomedical factoids: Dried fruit of Schinus molle are called "pink peppercorns" because they have a peppery flavor. The traditional black pepper that is so familiar to us is actually from a vining plant, Piper nigrum, which is native to south India. Extracts of Schinus molle have been used to treat wounds and infections due to its antibacterial and antiseptic properties. It has also been used as an antidepressant and diuretic, for toothaches, rheumatism and menstrual disorders. It has also been speculated that Schinus molle's insecticidal properties make it a good candidate for use as an alternative to synthetic chemicals in pest control.