Land & Trees

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Those pesky pepper trees

Pepper Trees in full bloom.

Brazillian pepper trees were brought to this state in the 1890's and advocated for use as ornamental shrubs. People loved them and called them Florida holly. Now they dominate 700,000 acres from North Central to South Florida. Brazilian peppers cover more land in Florida than the infamous melaleuca which has wreaked havoc in the Everglades.

Floridians spend money to reclaim wetlands, pasture lands, fish-spawning waterfronts, nature preserves and residential property from Brazilian peppers. But the more these plants grow and spread, the bigger the problem and the more tax money it will eat up.

Brazilian peppers are on the State of Florida's prohibited plant list. It is illegal to cultivate, sell or transport them.
When these large shrubs or trees infest an area, they advance like armies, overwhelming everything in their paths. They disrupt the interdependence of plants and animals crucial to their survival. Only the "invader" survives. Native plants and animals disappear.

Ill Effects of Brazilian Peppers

They kill other vegetation by forming dense thickets and by chemically suppressing the growth of understory plants.
They cut down on kinds and total numbers of wildlife by destroying their usual food and shelter.
They hurt shorelines by disturbing natural fish-breeding habitat. They crowd out valuable mangroves. Their shallow roots allow erosion.
They are members of the same family as poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. Any part of the plant can cause skin irritation in some

How Brazilian Peppers Grow

They grow rapidly up to 10 feet per year.
They resprout if cut down.
Their roots are nearly impossible to dig up.
Their prolific seeds are widely distributed by birds and animals.
They are resistant to natural events like flooding, fire and drought.
They can grow in wet or dry soil, and are salt-tolerant.
Florida has no natural predators to keep them under control as they grow rapidly up to 10 feet per year here as in Brazil.

How To Identify Brazilian Peppers

Brazilian peppers (Schinus terebinthifolius) are large multi-trunk shrubs that can grow 40 feet tall.
They are evergreens with glossy, bright green leaves, nonleathery in texture. When crushed, the leaves smell like turpentine.
The leaves are "compound," meaning there are several leaflets arranged opposite each other on one stem. "Simple" leaf arrangement means one leaf on one stem.
Female Brazilian pepper trees produce sprays of small yellowish-white flowers in spring, followed by clusters of small red berries in late fall.

How you can help

Pass the word about harmful invasive plants to others.
Learn to identify Brazilian peppers. Help with voluntary Brazilian pepper events scheduled by local environmental groups and colleges.
Don't eradicate a plant about which you are not certain. Ask for help.
Form neighborhood parties to learn effective procedures to get rid of Brazilian peppers, especially from natural preserves and waterfronts. Share the cost of materials with neighbors.
Brazilian peppers on land that borders water, or is wet at least part of the year, require special handling. These areas are protected by law.
Whenever you see a tiny Brazilian pepper tree, pull it up.

Taken from http://www.tbep.org/help/eyesonthebay/brazilianpeppers.html

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Herbacide for Brazilian Pepper Trees

Maureen Bonness (her email) sends the following advice for getting rid of pepper trees. Garlon 4 or Element 4 (active ingredient is triclopyr ester) diluted in Impel Red. Diesel will also work, but its not so good for the environment. I use 8% Garlon 4. I buy herbicide at Helena Chem. in Immokalee. Dan says there is a cheaper place in Immokalee that sells the ag chemicals. I buy Garlon in 2.5 gallon jugs, and the Impel Red is sold in 12-gallon drums. Not sure what your option is for smaller amounts. Some home improvement stores (or Naples Fertilizer?) might sell tripclopyr-containing herbicides. One is called Brush-Killer, or Brush-be-gone; check the label for ingredients. If you use those, do NOT dilute it. It is already at 8%.

How to treat: spray chemical at base of trunk (or you can spray a stump but it is the outer bark that is important). Spray enough so that it starts dripping down the side. Do not spray if rain is expected within an hour. Do not spray over surface water (e.g. a ditch or low wetland with water). Do not spray on wet wood. There are special chemical-resistant spray bottles. They are grey; more expensive but will not get corroded by chemicals. All spray bottles leak -- wear gloves. If you prefer to cut the tops off the pepper shrubs, it is easier to do before the shrub is dead. Dead pepper branches are very hard for 2 years; thereafter they become brittle and decay rapidly.