peppertree

noun

pep·​per·​tree ˈpe-pər-ˌtrē 

: a South American evergreen tree (Schinus molle) of the cashew family grown as a shade tree in mild climates

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Brazilian peppertrees, an invader that is among Florida’s most damaging flora, also impeded us; they had been sprayed in an attempt to get rid of them, and thorny vines had taken over their dead branches. —Gena Steffens, Smithsonian, 11 July 2019

Yet the despised peppertree might turn out to be medically valuable. —National Geographic, 15 Feb. 2017

In the meantime, the peppertree results—like earlier work that Quave and her collaborators performed with extracts from the European chestnut tree— —National Geographic, 15 Feb. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined above