Brisbane tree guide

Weeping pepper tree

Schinus molle · also called Pepper tree, Peppercorn tree, Pepperina

The pepper tree, often called the weeping pepper tree, is a South American shade tree with drooping, finely divided foliage and hanging bunches of rosy-pink berries. It was planted widely for shade in Australia's early settlements. It isn't a declared weed, but birds spread its seed, Hunter Water rates its roots as a very high risk to sewer pipes, and its foliage and berries can poison livestock.

Exotic
10 to 14 m tall

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Weeping pepper tree, from Wikimedia Commons — Photo: Charles Gadbois, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Weeping pepper tree at a glance

Height: 10 to 14 m
Leaves: Evergreen
Flowers: Small and easy to miss
Roots: Aggressive
Origin: South America
Family: Anacardiaceae

How to identify a weeping pepper tree

A spreading tree, usually to about 10 metres, with a weeping habit: the young branches and leaves hang down like a willow. Each leaf is 12 to 25 cm long and carries 17 to 35 narrow, pointed leaflets. Tiny cream-white flowers hang in loose clusters in spring, followed by bunches of round berries 3 to 7 mm across that ripen pink to red, with papery skins. Broad-leaved pepper tree, a restricted weed in Queensland, looks similar, but its dark green leaves spread rather than droop and carry far fewer, broader leaflets, 12 to 30 mm wide.

Growing a weeping pepper tree in Brisbane

Pepper trees were widely planted for shade in Australia's early settlements. They are weediest in temperate and semi-arid country, and Grow Me Instead lists them as invasive on the Darling Downs; in south-east Queensland they only occasionally go wild. In a Brisbane yard the bigger issues are the roots, which Hunter Water rates as a very high risk to sewer pipes, and seed carried off by birds. Give it an open spot well away from pipes and bushland.

What to watch out for

The foliage and berries can poison livestock and are probably toxic to people, even though the berries have been used in place of pepper. Birds spread the seed and the tree suckers, so it can escape into bushland. It isn't a declared weed in Queensland or on Brisbane City Council's weed list, but Queensland's WildNet database flags it as an environmental weed. Hunter Water rates its roots as a very high risk to sewer pipes. Don't confuse it with broad-leaved pepper tree, a Category 3 restricted invasive plant.

Poisonous parts. Its foliage and berries can poison livestock and are probably toxic to people, even though the berries have been used in place of pepper.
Seedlings. Birds eat the berries and spread the seed, and the tree also suckers, so it can come up well away from where it was planted.

Pruning and care

Pepper trees need little pruning beyond removing dead wood and any low, drooping branchlets that block paths, driveways or views. Lifting the canopy this way keeps sight lines clear without spoiling the weeping shape. Remove root suckers and seedlings as soon as they appear, since both help it spread. Keep livestock away from fallen leaves and berries. Large limbs, or a big old tree close to the house, are a job for a qualified arborist.

Weeping pepper tree: your questions

Short answers, from the sources below.

Back to the tree guide

Is the pepper tree a weed in Queensland?

It isn't a declared weed in Queensland and isn't on Brisbane City Council's weed list, but Queensland's WildNet database flags it as an environmental weed and Grow Me Instead lists it as invasive on the Darling Downs. Its look-alike, broad-leaved pepper tree, is a Category 3 restricted invasive plant.

Are pepper tree berries edible?

Treat them as poisonous. The berries have been used in place of pepper, but Flora of Australia warns that the foliage and berries can poison livestock and are probably toxic to people too.

Are pepper tree roots invasive?

They can be. Hunter Water rates the pepper tree as a very high risk to sewer pipes, so plant it well away from sewer and water pipes.

How do I tell a pepper tree from a broad-leaved pepper tree?

Look at the leaves. The weeping pepper tree has drooping leaves with many narrow leaflets 2 to 10 mm wide, while broad-leaved pepper tree has spreading, dark green leaves with leaflets 12 to 30 mm wide.

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Sources and credits

Photo: Charles Gadbois, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

This profile updates sheet 3 of the plant profile booklet made for Colourful Tree Lopping in 2013. We checked every fact against current sources and rewrote it for the guide.

Checked October 2026. Weed listings and council rules change: check the council's and the Queensland Government's pages before you act.