Re: [CH] Brazilian Pepper Tree
Bob Batson (bob@sky.net)
Thu, 1 Apr 1999 19:07:54 -0600 (CST)
On Wed, 31 Mar 1999, Rosemary Basil <rosemarybasil@yahoo.com> wrote:
> There is a discussion going on at one of my clubs about
> a kind of "Brazilian pepper tree" being circulated
> someplace on the web as pepper seed and I wonder if
> anyone on this list knows more about it. It doesn't
> sound like a fun kind of "pepper" plant. Info
> appreciated.
According to _Index of Garden Plants_ by Mark Griffiths (ISBN
0-88192-246-3), the botanical name for the Brazilian Pepper Tree is
Schinus terebinthifolius and grows to 7m (23 feet) tall. I'm not
positive but I think S. mollis is called a Pepper Tree also. I then
checked _Cornucopia II: A Source Book of Edible Plants by Stephen
Facciola (ISBN 0-9628087-2-5) where S. terebinthifolius is listed as
being edible. But in the description it says "...The peppery seeds are
sold in expensive specialty markets and are used as a spice in Cajun
and Nouvelle cuisines. However, they are known to cause rashes,
vomiting, and diarrhea in some sensitive individuals...."
The National Geographic Society book _Alien Invaders_ by Robert Devine
(ISBN 0-7922-7392-9) discusses this plant and concludes that mechanical
(bulldozers & trucks) eradication is probably the beast.
====================================================================
Bob Batson L 39 12 14 N 94 33 16 W
bob@sky.net Kansas City
TCS - Mystic Fire Priest USDA zone 5b
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