Originally from South America, Brazilian pepper is a highly invasive plant that aggressively consumes native vegetation in our Florida ecosystems. This plant is believed to have been brought in to the United States years ago for its attractive red berries. Once in a location, Brazilian pepper produces hundreds to thousands of red berries which propagate the plant further. Birds aid in seed dispersal as they love the ruby red berries for food. Since it has such an aggressive growth rate, Brazilian pepper quickly shades out native plant material, killing native vegetation.
