Schinus. Schinus molle. Pepper tree.

Botanical name: 

Schinus. Schinus molle L. (Fam. Anacardiaceae.)—The pepper tree of South America yields a berry the size of a pea, having a flavor similar to a mixture of pepper and fennel. It has been introduced as a shade tree in Southern California. (A. J. P., 1896, 215.) The leaves contain a volatile oil which is readily discharged, as after a rain when the air is filled with fragrance. Schimmel & Co. examined the volatile oil distilled from the berries; it had the sp. gr. 0.850, the odor of phellandrene, and was soluble in alcohol. (Ph. Rev., 1897, 114.) It has been used successfully in gonorrhea as a substitute for cubeb. The leaves, bark, and gum resin have been employed medicinally. (See A. J. P., 1866, 1885, 1890; also P. J., 1887.)


The Dispensatory of the United States of America, 1918, was edited by Joseph P. Remington, Horatio C. Wood and others.