Scientific name: Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi

Classification: Kingdom: Plantae: Phylum: Dicotyledonae. Family: Anacardiaceae

Origin: Introduced in 1911 as an ornamental; native to Brazil

Status: Common in low to mid elevations

Distribution: Midway Atoll and all the main islands except Ni‘ihau and Kaho‘olawe

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Known in many parts of the world as Brazilian pepper, this plant escaped cultivation and has spread quickly by birds eating the fruits, whose seeds are dispersed in droppings. In Florida and Hawai‘i it is outcompeting native plants for water resources. Here in Hawai‘i it threatens the survival of some rare and endangered plants, including the yellow hibiscus (see card no. 63)