California Pepper Tree
Schinus molle
Handsome, rustic look from older trees. Attractive, somewhat weeping form holds clusters of pinkish fruit in fall and winter. Plant where there is room to spread. Use in firescaping. Evergreen.
| Botanical Pronunciation: | SKY-nus MOL-le |
| Key feature: | Deer Resistant |
| Plant type: | Tree |
| Garden style: | Mediterranean |
| Deciduous/evergreen: | Evergreen |
| Cold hardiness zones: | 8 - 11 |
| Light needs: | Full sun |
| Water Needs: | Once established, needs only occasional watering. |
| Average landscape size: | Fast grower to 25 to 40 ft. tall and wide, larger with age. |
| Growth rate: | Fast |
| Growth habit: | Weeping |
| Special features: | Attracts Birds, Deer Resistant, North American Native Selection, Showy Fruit, Waterwise, Year-round Interest |
| Landscape use: | Firescaping/Fire Wise |
| Flower color: | White |
| Blooms: | Summer |
| Foliage color: | Green |
| Item no.: | 7070 |
| Retailers for this plant: |
Care Information
Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Watering can be reduced after establishment. Feed with a general purpose fertilizer before new growth begins in spring. Pruning time: winter.
Design Ideas
A perfect tree for expansive shade in xeriscape gardens. Traditional choice for rural California and southwestern homesites and landscapes. May be used as a street tree or to line a long drive. Plant a pair to frame a large gateway so dangling foliage will meet gracefully overhead.
Companion Plants
Combine its feathery foliage and pink berries in the large garden with the Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) for its dark, green leaves. Shares similar water requirements with Santa Barbara Mexican Bush Sage, (Salvia leucantha 'Santa Barbara'), Bennet's White Rockrose, (Cistus x 'Bennet's White') and El Dorado Ceanothus, (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus 'Perado').
History
This dioecious tree is native to the Andes Mountains of Peru and belongs to the cashew family. It was collected by Spanish colonials who distributed the trees by seed into North America. Trees proved particularly well suited to California and the desert Southwest where they became prominent during colonial times.
Lore
This tree is called the California pepper but it is not native. It was brought to the old missions by Franciscans who needed a very drought resistant shade tree.
Handsome, rustic look from older trees. Attractive, somewhat weeping form holds clusters of pinkish fruit in fall and winter. Plant where there is room to spread. Use in firescaping. Evergreen.
Care Information
Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Watering can be reduced after establishment. Feed with a general purpose fertilizer before new growth begins in spring. Pruning time: winter.
Design Ideas
A perfect tree for expansive shade in xeriscape gardens. Traditional choice for rural California and southwestern homesites and landscapes. May be used as a street tree or to line a long drive. Plant a pair to frame a large gateway so dangling foliage will meet gracefully overhead.
Companion Plants
Combine its feathery foliage and pink berries in the large garden with the Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) for its dark, green leaves. Shares similar water requirements with Santa Barbara Mexican Bush Sage, (Salvia leucantha 'Santa Barbara'), Bennet's White Rockrose, (Cistus x 'Bennet's White') and El Dorado Ceanothus, (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus 'Perado').
History
This dioecious tree is native to the Andes Mountains of Peru and belongs to the cashew family. It was collected by Spanish colonials who distributed the trees by seed into North America. Trees proved particularly well suited to California and the desert Southwest where they became prominent during colonial times.
Lore
This tree is called the California pepper but it is not native. It was brought to the old missions by Franciscans who needed a very drought resistant shade tree.
| Botanical Pronunciation: | SKY-nus MOL-le |
| Key feature: | Deer Resistant |
| Plant type: | Tree |
| Garden style: | Mediterranean |
| Deciduous/evergreen: | Evergreen |
| Cold hardiness zones: | 8 - 11 |
| Light needs: | Full sun |
| Water Needs: | Once established, needs only occasional watering. |
| Average landscape size: | Fast grower to 25 to 40 ft. tall and wide, larger with age. |
| Growth rate: | Fast |
| Growth habit: | Weeping |
| Special features: | Attracts Birds, Deer Resistant, North American Native Selection, Showy Fruit, Waterwise, Year-round Interest |
| Landscape use: | Firescaping/Fire Wise |
| Flower color: | White |
| Blooms: | Summer |
| Foliage color: | Green |
| Item no.: | 7070 |
