California Pepper Tree (Australian Pepper Tree)
Schinus molle (ANACARDIACEAE)
Planting and Growing California Pepper Tree
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow California or Australian pepper tree in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- Flowers, foliage, and fruit of California or Australian pepper tree
- Growing conditions for California or Australian pepper tree
- When to plant California or Australian pepper tree
- How to plant California or Australian pepper tree
- How to prune California or Australian pepper tree
- Watering, fertilizing, and care of California or Australian pepper tree
- Landscape uses of California or Australian pepper tree
- Pest and disease control for California or Australian pepper tree
Growing California Pepper Trees
Several cultivars of fast-growing, upright, spreading, evergreen deciduous trees, 20–50 ft. (6–15 m) tall and wide, with smooth, frondlike, light green, fragrant leaves, to 9 in. (23 cm) long, as 15–41-paired, lance-shaped leaflets along each nodding branch, and with rough, cinnamon, gnarled, flaking bark.
California Pepper Tree is native to the Peruvian Andes mountains of South America and is unrelated to true peppercorn tree, Piper nigrum. Brazilian pepper tree, Schinus terebinthifolius, is a closely related species. All three pepper trees are used as culinary spices.
California Pepper Tree Planting and Care Guide
Flowers and Fruit
Many fragrant, spikelike, dangling, white, yellow, clustered flowers, to 6 in. (15 cm) long, in spring, form small, edible, red, clustered, berrylike fruit in autumn–winter.
Best Climates
U.S.D.A. Plant Hardiness Zones 6–11. Best in hot-summer climates.
Soil Type and Fertility
Damp, well-drained soil. Fertility: Average–low. 6.5–7.5 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Full sun. Space 5 ft. (1.5 m) apart in zones 6–8; space 8–12 ft. (2.4–3.7 m) apart in zones 9–11.
Proper Care
Easy. Allow soil surface to dry between waterings until established. Prune in autumn. Propagate by cuttings, seed.
About This Species
Good choice for accents, walls in arid climates, open gardens, lawns. Drought tolerant when established. Drops flowers, fruit, leaves, twigs, requiring maintenance. Invasive. Shallow rooted. Disease resistant. Black scale susceptible.