Although not related to commercial pepper (
Piper nigrum), the pink/red berries of the Peruvian peppertree (
Schinus molle) are sold as pink peppercorns and often blended with commercial pepper. The fruit and leaves of Peruvian pepper are potentially poisonous to poultry, pigs and possibly calves. Records also exist of young children who have experienced vomiting and diarrhea after eating the fruit. The Brazilian pepper was
introduced as an ornamental plant to Florida by at latest 1891, probably earlier, where it has spread rapidly since about 1940, and eventually became
invasive in the area where it is often referred to as "
Florida Holly". In 1982, the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the import of Brazilian peppercorns from France into the United States, asserting that people who eat the berries risk an array of acute symptoms, such as swollen eyelids and indigestion, similar to
poison ivy. In response, the
Government of France maintained that the berries are safe to eat if grown in prescribed conditions. Presently both species of the Schinus pink peppercorn lack "
generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) status with the FDA. ==See also==