Re: Schinus terebinthifolius

I'm kinda with David on this one.
 
I'm reminded of an old PBS show with a dog trainer by the name of Barbara Woodhouse.  She wrote a book, "There Are No Bad Dogs", subtitled "Only Bad Dog Owners". 
 
For us horticulturists, we could read that as "There Are No Bad Trees (Plants) -- Only Bad Gardeners Who Put the Wrong Tree (Plant) in the Wrong Place".
 
Schinus terebinthifolius is a fairly good-looking tree (personally, I find it a bit "heavy" in look and feel).  With the right pruning (lots of it), it's handsome.
 
Here on the Central Coast (climate very much like that of the SF Bay area), it does get a bit trashy without maintenance.
 
But where there's a spot that doesn't allow much of anything to grow or grow well, Brazilian Pepper may be a suitable option.  It's remarkably drought-tolerant with age.
 
On the other hand, although it is not on California's official "Noxious Weed" list (it is on the list for Texas and Florida), Schinus terebinthifolius shows up in:
 
"Invasive Plants of California's Wildlands", Brossard, C.C., Randall, J.M. and Hoshovsky, M.C (2000) . University of California Press, USA
 
"California Noxious Weed Control Projects Inventory" (CNWCPI)  and

"Exotic Pest Plants of Ecological Concern in California"
 
Joe
 

Joe Seals
Landscape Designer, Horticultural Consultant
Pismo Beach, California
Home/Office: 805-295-6039

--- On Mon, 2/23/09, david feix <davidfeix@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: david feix <davidfeix@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Schinus terebinthifolius
To: "medit-plants Plants" <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
Date: Monday, February 23, 2009, 1:55 AM

It makes a very attractive street tree in San Francisco, where it tolerates little water, being surrounded by concrete, cold winds and fog, and looks good all year round.  I haven't seen it reseed itself around here locally, and think it is well adapted for use as a street tree.  I have seen it resprout from cut roots, but is not nearly as bad at forming groves as the Maytenus boaria tree is, which doesn't get all the bad press.  It would seem to be the most invasive where it gets warm summers in combination with summer rains, but doesn't seem to reseed itself in irrigated northern California gardens, and certainly less so than other evergreen trees such as Pittosporum undulatum, Eriobotrya japonica and Ligustrum lucidum.  I think the tree does have its uses in the right spot, as it can take difficult conditions and still look good.


--- On Sun, 2/22/09, Catherine Ratner <tactar@verizon.net> wrote:

> From: Catherine Ratner <tactar@verizon.net>
> Subject: Re: Schinus terebinthifolius
> To: "medit-plants Plants" <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>, elischer@iinet.net.au
> Date: Sunday, February 22, 2009, 2:18 PM
> Mature trees are also difficult to get rid of.  I cut down
> one and it revenged itself by sending up copious root shoots
> up to twenty feet away.
>
> Cathy
> On Feb 21, 2009, at 11:04 PM, Beverly Elischer wrote:
>
> > N Sterman wrote:
> >
> >> Did anyone respond to you Pamela?  If not,
> here's the poop - in  California, it is extremely
> invasive and problematic in the garden.   Roots are right at
> the surface so you can't grow anything under or  near
> it.  Drops leaves like crazy.  Needs constant pruning.  Just
> a  big pain in the patoot.  Nice looking, but not worth the
> trouble.
> >>
> >> Nan
> >>
> >> On Feb 19, 2009, at 3:30 AM, Pamela Steele wrote:
> >>
> >>> Has anyone in the Med countries had experience
> (good or bad ) of  Schinus terebinthifolius.  I would like
> to plant one but I am  reading a lot negative comments
> (invasiveness etc)  especially from  California/Florida.
> Plants don't appear to become invasive here  (Costa
> Blanca).
> >>> Pamela
> >>
> >>
> >>
> > In Western Australia it's proscribed as a weed for
> the same reasons .....
> >
> > Beverly
> >


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