If you’ve lived in Central Florida for any length of time, you’ve seen Brazilian pepper. It’s everywhere — forming dense thickets along roadsides, in vacant lots, at the edges of wetlands, and in backyards throughout Pasco, Hernando, Hillsborough, and the surrounding counties. It’s so common that many homeowners assume it’s a native tree. It’s not, and getting rid of it is one of the best things you can do for your property and for Florida’s natural environment.
What Is Brazilian Pepper?
Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius) is a South American native that was introduced to Florida in the mid-1800s as an ornamental plant. It was widely planted for its bright red berries (which appear around Christmas, earning it the nickname “Florida holly”) and its dense, green foliage.
The problem is that Brazilian pepper turned out to be one of the most aggressive invasive plant species in the state. It’s now classified as a Category I invasive by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council, meaning it’s known to be “invading and disrupting native plant communities in Florida.” It’s also listed as a Florida Noxious Weed, and it’s illegal to sell, transport, or plant Brazilian pepper in the state.
How to Identify Brazilian Pepper
Brazilian pepper is relatively easy to identify once you know what to look for.
Leaves are compound, with 3–13 leaflets arranged along a central stem. The leaflets are elliptical with slightly serrated edges. When crushed, the leaves give off a peppery or turpentine-like smell — this is the most distinctive identification feature. If you crush a leaf and it smells like pepper or chemicals, you’ve likely found it.
Berries are small, round, and bright red, growing in dense clusters. They ripen in fall and winter and are the primary means of spread — birds eat them by the thousands and deposit seeds across the landscape.
Bark is gray to brown and becomes furrowed and rough on mature specimens.
Growth form is variable. Brazilian pepper can grow as a multi-stemmed shrub, a dense hedge-like thicket, or a single-trunked tree up to 30–40 feet tall. It sends up shoots from its root system and can resprout aggressively from cut stumps.
A word of caution: Brazilian pepper is related to poison ivy and poison oak. The sap can cause skin irritation, rashes, and allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Some people also react to airborne particles when the trees are cut or chipped. Wear protective clothing, gloves, and eye protection when handling this species.
Why You Should Remove It
Beyond its invasive status, there are practical reasons to remove Brazilian pepper from your property.
It outcompetes everything. Brazilian pepper forms dense monocultures that shade out native grasses, wildflowers, and young native trees. Under a mature Brazilian pepper canopy, almost nothing else can grow. The soil chemistry beneath these trees is altered in ways that further suppress native plant growth.
It spreads aggressively. A single mature Brazilian pepper can produce thousands of berries each year, and birds — especially robins and mockingbirds — spread the seeds across your property and into neighboring natural areas. Leaving Brazilian pepper on your land contributes to its spread across the region.
It reduces property value. Dense Brazilian pepper thickets make property look neglected and reduce usable space. Clearing it often opens up views, improves curb appeal, and reclaims land you didn’t realize you had.
It’s a fire hazard. Dead Brazilian pepper material is highly flammable, and dense thickets create fuel loads that increase wildfire risk — a real concern in Central Florida, especially during dry season.
It provides poor wildlife habitat compared to native alternatives. While some birds eat the berries, the tree provides little of the insect life, nesting structure, or ecological function that native species like live oak, wax myrtle, or dahoon holly offer.
Removal Methods
The right approach depends on the size of the infestation and the individual plants.
Small seedlings and saplings (under 2 inches in diameter) can often be pulled by hand when the soil is moist. Get the entire root — any piece left behind can resprout. This works best for recent seedlings in garden beds or maintained areas where you’re catching them early.
Cut stump treatment is the most common method for larger Brazilian pepper. The tree is cut as close to the ground as possible, and a herbicide (typically triclopyr or glyphosate) is immediately applied to the fresh-cut stump surface. “Immediately” is key — the herbicide needs to be applied within minutes of the cut, before the stump surface begins to seal, so it can be absorbed into the root system and prevent resprouting.
Basal bark treatment involves applying a triclopyr-based herbicide mixed with a penetrating oil directly to the bark around the base of the trunk. This method works on stems up to about 6 inches in diameter and is useful for treating individual trees without cutting them first. The tree dies standing and can be removed later.
Mechanical removal — using excavators, bulldozers, or forestry mulchers to remove large stands of Brazilian pepper — is the most efficient approach for heavy infestations covering large areas. This is common in land clearing projects and environmental restoration work. However, mechanical removal alone (without herbicide follow-up) will not eliminate Brazilian pepper — it resprouts vigorously from root fragments left in the soil.
Follow-up is essential. No matter which method you use, plan on monitoring the area and treating resprouts for at least 2–3 years after the initial removal. Brazilian pepper seed remains viable in the soil for several years, and birds continue depositing new seeds from trees elsewhere. A single removal event without follow-up almost always results in the Brazilian pepper returning.
Permits and Regulations
Here’s the good news for property owners: because Brazilian pepper is classified as an invasive species, most Florida counties — including Pasco, Hernando, Hillsborough, Sumter, and Citrus — exempt it from tree removal permit requirements. You generally do not need a permit to remove Brazilian pepper from your property, regardless of its size.
However, there are a few caveats. If Brazilian pepper removal is part of a larger land clearing project, the overall project may still require permits. If the trees are near or within wetland areas, environmental regulations still apply to how work is conducted in those zones. And if you’re using herbicides, follow all label directions and be aware of any local restrictions on herbicide application near waterways.
When in doubt, check with your county’s environmental services department. But in the vast majority of residential situations, removing Brazilian pepper is something you can do without navigating the permitting process.
What to Plant After Removal
One of the best ways to prevent Brazilian pepper from returning is to plant native species that will occupy the space and eventually shade out any resprouts.
For shady canopy trees, live oak and bald cypress are excellent long-term replacements. They provide vastly superior shade, habitat, and property value compared to Brazilian pepper.
For medium-height screening and habitat, wax myrtle, dahoon holly, and beautyberry are fast-growing natives that fill space quickly and provide food for birds — giving wildlife a native alternative to Brazilian pepper berries.
For open areas and edges, native grasses like muhly grass and fakahatchee grass, along with wildflowers like blanket flower and tickseed, create attractive, low-maintenance groundcover that resists Brazilian pepper invasion.
The Cost of Removal
For residential properties, Brazilian pepper removal costs depend on the extent of the infestation. Removing a few scattered trees typically costs $200–$600 per tree, comparable to standard tree removal. Clearing a dense thicket from a portion of your property might run $1,000–$3,000 or more depending on access, area, and disposal method.
For larger properties with extensive infestations, mechanical clearing with follow-up herbicide treatment is the most cost-effective approach and is typically priced by the acre, similar to standard land clearing.
Many property owners tackle Brazilian pepper in phases — starting with the most visible or most impactful areas first and working outward over time. This spreads the cost and allows you to stay on top of resprouts in areas you’ve already cleared.
The Bottom Line
Brazilian pepper is one of those problems that only gets worse the longer you ignore it. Every year it’s left in place, it spreads further, grows larger, and becomes more expensive to remove. Taking it out protects your property’s value, your neighbors’ properties, and the native ecosystems that make Florida special.
And unlike most tree removal in Florida, you can do it without a permit. That’s about as close to a free pass as you’ll ever get in the world of tree regulations.
Related McGuire services & areas
Battling Brazilian pepper or other invasives? McGuire clears them and restores your property.
- brush & invasive species removal — eliminate Brazilian pepper and undergrowth.
- total land clearing — reclaim overgrown property.
