Scientific name: Schinus molle

Family: Anacardiaceae.

Origin: Brazil.

Popular names: amescla, aroeira-branca and aroeiro-do-mato, anacauita, aroeira, aroeira-cinzenta, aroeira-folha-de-salso, fruit-de-sabiá, among others.

Natural occurrence: Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

Characteristics: evergreen shrub or tree, commonly between 3m and 12m tall. It is considered one of the most aggressive precursor species in stony and drained soils.

The term “schinos” comes from the Greek verb “schizein”, which means “to cut”, “to make an incision”, because of the cut that is made in the bark to flow the resin. The Latinized term “molle” comes from “mulli”, the name that the indigenous people of Peru give to this tree.

Uses: the multiple uses of Schinus molle date back to Inca times. The resin was not only used to heal wounds and as a purgative, but it was also used to embalm the dead.

See all tree and shrub species mapped on Bahiana