If you’ve ever walked past a tree with long, graceful branches and clusters of tiny pink berries that look like peppercorns, you might have met Schinus molle—better known as the Peruvian pepper tree. Despite the name, it’s not actually related to real pepper (Piper nigrum), but its bright pink fruits are often sold as “pink peppercorns.”
This evergreen tree can grow up to 15 meters (about 50 feet) tall and wide, making it the largest member of the Schinus family. It’s hardy, drought-tolerant, and lives a long time—sometimes so long that in some countries it’s become a bit of an invasive overachiever.
Native to Peru and the dry Andes, S. molle has traveled far beyond South America. It spread through the old Spanish colonies, valued for its strong wood (perfect for saddles) and its ornamental beauty. Its leaves, bark, and berries have a spicy, aromatic scent when crushed—one of the reasons people fell in love with it.
In traditional medicine, the tree was used to clean wounds and fight infections. The Incas even used its oils in mummification rituals, and its leaves for natural dyes that colored Andean textiles long before Europeans arrived.
The sweet outer part of the ripe fruit was once turned into drinks, syrups, and even a kind of nourishing gruel mixed with maize.
At a corner of the LA Arboretum, I saw a tree that, from a distance, looked like something out of a cartoon scene where ghosts or fairies might appear. Later, I found out it was a Peruvian pepper tree, the same kind that also grows at the entrance of the Huntington Library. They were beautiful.
如果你曾經過一棵枝條修長優美、結滿簇簇粉紅色小漿果、形似胡椒粒的樹，那你可能遇到的就是秘魯胡椒樹。雖然名字裡有「胡椒」，但它實際上與真正的胡椒（Piper nigrum）並無關聯，只是它鮮亮的粉紅色果實常被當作「粉紅胡椒粒」出售。
這種常綠喬木可以長到 15 公尺高（約 50 英尺），冠幅也達 15 公尺，是胡椒科植物中體型最大的成員。它生命力頑強，耐旱，而且壽命很長——有時壽命太長，以至於在一些國家已經成為一種入侵性極強的植物。
原產於秘魯和乾燥的安地斯山脈的秘魯胡椒木如今已遠播南美洲以外。它遍布昔日的西班牙殖民地，因其堅硬的木材（非常適合製作馬鞍）和觀賞價值而備受珍視。它的葉子、樹皮和漿果揉碎後會散發出辛辣芳香的氣息——這也是人們愛上它的原因之一。
在傳統醫學中，這種樹被用來清潔傷口和對抗感染。印加人甚至在木乃伊製作儀式中使用它的油脂，並用它的葉子作為天然染料，早在歐洲人到來之前就為安第斯山脈的紡織品染色。
成熟水果的甜美外皮曾被用來製作飲料、糖漿，甚至與玉米混合製成一種營養豐富的粥。
在洛杉磯植物園的一個角落，我看到一棵樹，從遠處看，就像卡通片裡鬼魂或仙女可能會出現的那種樹。後來我才知道，那是一棵秘魯胡椒樹，和亨廷頓圖書館入口處生長的那棵是同一種。它們真美。
Notes 筆記
- Schinus molle (Peruvian pepper; also known as American pepper, Peruvian peppertree, escobilla, false pepper, rosé pepper, molle del Perú, pepper tree, peppercorn tree, California pepper tree, pirul [in Mexican Spanish], Peruvian mastic, anacahuita or aguaribay, and pepperina) is an evergreen tree.
- It grows up to 15 meters (50 feet) tall and wide. It is the largest of all Schinus species and potentially the longest-lived.
- Male and female flowers occur on separate plants (dioecious). The flowers are small, white, and borne profusely in panicles at the ends of the drooping branches. The bark, leaves, and berries are aromatic when crushed. However, the fruit and leaves are potentially poisonous to poultry, pigs, and possibly calves.
- The bright pink fruits of Schinus molle are often sold as “pink peppercorns,” although S. molle is unrelated to true pepper (Piper nigrum).
- Schinus molle is native to the arid zones of northern South America and Peru’s Andean deserts, extending to central Argentina and central Chile. It has, however, become widely naturalized around the world where it has been planted, known for its strong wood used in saddle making. During the Spanish colonial period, it was an important supply source for saddles, as well as being cultivated ornamentally and for spice production.
- It is a drought-tolerant, long-lived, hardy evergreen species that has become a serious invasive weed in many regions worldwide.
- In traditional medicine, S. molle was used to treat various wounds and infections due to its antibacterial and antiseptic properties. Fresh green leaves in bunches are used in Mesoamerican traditional ceremonies for cleansing and blessings.
- The leaves are also used for the natural dyeing of textiles in the Andean region—a practice that dates back to pre-Columbian times. The Incas used the oil from its leaves in early mummification practices to preserve and embalm their dead.
- The Incas also used the sweet outer part of the ripe fruit to make a drink. The berries were rubbed carefully to avoid mixing with the bitter inner parts, the mixture was strained, and then left for a few days to ferment into a beverage. It was also boiled down into syrup or mixed with maize to make a nourishing gruel.
- 秘魯胡椒木（又稱美洲胡椒、秘魯胡椒樹、掃帚、假胡椒、玫瑰胡椒、秘魯香、胡椒樹、胡椒粒樹、加州胡椒樹、秘魯乳香）是一種常綠喬木。
- 它可長到 15 公尺高，15 公尺寬。它是所有肖乳香屬植物中體型最大的，也可能是壽命最長的。
- 雄花和雌花分別生長在不同的植株上（雌雄異株）。花朵小而白，簇生於下垂枝條的頂端，形成密集的圓錐花序。樹皮、葉片和漿果揉碎後散發出香氣。然而，果實和葉片對家禽、豬以及可能還有小牛有毒。
- 秘魯胡椒木的亮粉紅色果實經常被當作「粉紅胡椒粒」出售，雖然秘魯胡椒樹與胡椒（Piper nigrum）無關。
- 秘魯胡椒木原產於南美洲北部乾燥地區和秘魯安第斯山脈沙漠，分佈範圍延伸至阿根廷中部和智利中部。然而，如今它已在世界各地廣泛移植，並因其堅韌的木材常用於製作馬鞍而聞名。在西班牙殖民時期，秘魯胡椒木是重要的馬鞍木材來源，同時也被用作觀賞植物和香料原料。
- 它是一種耐旱、長壽、生命力頑強的常綠植物，在世界許多地區已成為嚴重的入侵雜草。
- 在傳統醫學中，由於其抗菌和防腐特性，秘魯胡椒木被用於治療各種傷口和感染。新鮮的綠葉成束地用於中美洲的傳統儀式中，用於淨化和祈禱。
- 這種植物的葉子在安第斯地區也被用於紡織品的天然染色——這種做法可以追溯到前哥倫布時期。印加人在早期的木乃伊製作過程中，會使用這種植物葉子中的油脂來保存和防腐死者。
- 印加人也會用成熟果實的甜美外層來製作飲品。他們會小心地揉搓漿果，避免與苦澀的內層混合，然後將混合物過濾，放置數日發酵成飲料。此外，他們還會將發酵後的果實熬成糖漿，或與玉米混合製成營養豐富的粥。
References 參考資料
- Wikipedia: Schinus molle
Plants Posts 植物的帖子
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