Christmas berry honey, known in Hawaii as wilelaiki, is a monofloral honey from the nectar of the Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolia), produced in Hawaii.
Christmas berry honey — called wilelaiki in Hawaii — comes from the Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolia), a noxious weed that covers more than 120,000 acres across every major Hawaiian island. Light amber with a peppery finish and notes of butterscotch. Not very sweet — complex rather than mild.
Christmas berry honey — called wilelaiki in Hawaii — comes from the Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolia), a noxious weed that covers more than 120,000 acres across every major Hawaiian island. The tree was introduced to Hawaii prior to 1900 and was already being used for reforestation by 1928. By the late 1940s it was classified as a range pest. Today it is on the state Department of Land and Natural Resources 'Don't Plant' list.
The honey is light amber with a peppery finish — not the mild, clean profile you might expect from a light-colored honey. Producers describe it as subtly spicy, with notes of butterscotch and a complex character that reads differently in different pairings. It stays liquid longer than most Hawaiian honeys.
Hawaiian beekeepers have actively opposed biocontrol programs targeting Brazilian pepper because this tree is too economically valuable as a nectar source. That tension — between the ecological damage of an aggressive invader and the commercial value it creates for island beekeepers — is the honest story of this honey. It is not a traditional Hawaiian cultural product (the plant arrived well after Western contact), but it is a genuine contemporary Hawaiian commercial product, made by people who have built livelihoods around a tree that conservationists want gone.
Note: "Christmas berry" also refers to Heteromeles arbutifolia (toyon), a completely different California-native plant in the rose family. Hawaiian wilelaiki honey and California toyon honey are unrelated products from unrelated species.
Schinus terebinthifolia (the feminine form, resolved as correct in 2015 after decades of taxonomic confusion over the genus gender) is a fast-growing evergreen tree in the Anacardiaceae family — the same family as mangoes, cashews, and poison ivy. Native to subtropical South America (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay), it produces dense clusters of small white flowers and bright red berries that ripen around December, earning it the common name Christmas berry in Hawaii.
The tree was introduced to Hawaii prior to 1900, initially as an ornamental, and was used for reforestation by 1928. By the late 1940s it was already recognized as spreading aggressively and classified as a range pest. As of 1991, moderate to dense stands covered an estimated 120,000 acres across all major Hawaiian islands — the current extent is likely larger. It is listed as a noxious weed by the state and appears on the Department of Land and Natural Resources 'Don't Plant' list.
The invasion mechanism is well-documented: Brazilian pepper is an aggressive colonizer of disturbed habitats that shades out native vegetation and forms dense monocultures. It produces allelopathic compounds that inhibit surrounding plants. Its dense root systems and rapid regrowth after disturbance make eradication extremely difficult. The IUCN Global Invasive Species Database describes it as reducing biological diversity in invaded areas.
Like other Anacardiaceae, the tree has aromatic sap that can cause skin reactions in sensitive individuals — similar to poison ivy contact dermatitis. This has no documented effect on the honey.
Christmas berry grows across all major Hawaiian islands, but microclimates and elevation create subtle differences in the honey.
The largest island offers the widest elevation range for Christmas berry production. Higher elevation plantings (2,000–3,000 ft) produce brighter, cleaner honey; lower zones create richer, fuller profiles. The Big Island is the primary commercial source and home to most producers who sell Christmas berry as a labeled single-varietal product.
Most available, widest flavor range by elevation, benchmark quality.
Maui's protected valleys create consistent nectar flows from dense Christmas berry stands. Leeward slopes produce more concentrated flavors from drier conditions; windward areas produce lighter, more delicate honey. Small-scale Maui beekeepers often blend Christmas berry with other seasonal sources.
Consistent quality, valley-concentrated flavor, small batches.
Christmas berry thrives in Oʻahu's disturbed landscapes — roadsides, construction margins, and recovering development zones. Beekeeping near population centers produces ecologically interesting honey from a plant that colonizes exactly the land that humans abandon. Production is smaller-scale but locally valued.
Local character, urban-edge ecology, seasonal availability.
Christmas berry's signature is a single-note honest read: peppery. The Brazilian pepper tree carries aromatic compounds in its berries that show up in the honey as a distinctive spice register the prose has always sold but the prior 5-axis chart understated (Spice was placed at LOW 22%). The §7.8 honey-character pass made Spicy the lead at 8 and zeroed the rest, matching cranberry's single-dominant signature approach.
Christmas berry is an honest single-note signature. The other eight families stay at 0 — what you taste is the peppery character of the Brazilian pepper tree carried through the bee, not a multi-family chord.
An ecological paradox at the source plant, a peppery single-note signature, and a reliable late-summer-through-fall bloom in a Hawaiian beekeeping calendar where reliability is rare.
Hawaiian conservationists spend resources trying to eradicate Brazilian pepper. Hawaiian beekeepers depend on it for their livelihood. Both positions are defensible. The tree displaces native vegetation that supports endemic species found nowhere else on Earth. It also provides one of the most reliable nectar flows in the Hawaiian beekeeping calendar. Buying authentic Christmas berry honey does not make the invasive problem better or worse — the plant is beyond control regardless. What it does is support beekeepers who have adapted to an ecological reality they did not create.
The Brazilian pepper tree is in the Anacardiaceae family (related to mangoes and cashews). The peppery character of the honey appears to come from the same aromatic compounds that give the plant's berries their bite. Multiple independent producers and retailers describe the honey's flavor as spicy, peppery, or warm — this is its defining characteristic, not a defect. The §7.8 honey-character pass locked it as Spicy 8.
Brazilian pepper flowers prolifically in late summer through fall (August–November in Hawaii), providing the third seasonal rotation for Big Island beekeepers who move hives from lehua (spring) to macadamia (summer) to wilelaiki (fall). The tree's drought tolerance and density across multiple elevation zones ensure consistent yields even in variable weather years — a rare reliability in island beekeeping.
Hawaiian beekeepers have actively opposed biocontrol programs against Brazilian pepper because the honey is too economically valuable to lose. Columbia University's invasive species documentation notes this opposition has occurred in both Hawaii and Florida. A 1988 communication cited in Bugwood's species profile states that further biocontrol research on Schinus in Hawaii is unlikely specifically because the plant is an important nectar source for the beekeeping industry. The economic interest has effectively stalled biocontrol efforts for decades.
In its native Brazilian habitat, Schinus terebinthifolia is the primary nectar source for the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula, producing aroeira honey — a product with its own Denomination of Origin in Minas Gerais. A 2022 PLOS ONE study of monofloral honey types from Minas Gerais found aroeira honey among the highest in phenolic content (approximately 102 mg GAE/100g) of 15 varieties tested. A separate SciELO study confirmed that phenolic compounds produced by the tree are transferred to honey through the nectar. These findings cannot be directly applied to Hawaiian production — terroir, climate, soil chemistry, bee species (Brazilian stingless bees vs. Hawaiian Apis mellifera), and processing methods all differ. The correct evidence classification is Emerging: real peer-reviewed research on the same plant, but from a different production context and not replicated for Hawaiian honey specifically.
Published Brazilian studies on "aroeira honey" chemistry are often about Astronium urundeuva (also called aroeira-do-sertão), a different Anacardiaceae timber tree. Both species go by "aroeira" in colloquial Brazilian Portuguese. Citing Astronium research as evidence for Schinus terebinthifolia (Christmas berry / aroeira-vermelha) honey would be a species-level error. Where this page references Brazilian research, the species attribution is verified to Schinus, not Astronium.
'Christmas berry' also refers to Heteromeles arbutifolia (toyon), a completely different California-native plant in the rose family. Hawaiian wilelaiki (Schinus terebinthifolia) honey and California toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) honey are unrelated products from unrelated species. Anyone shopping for one should not be served the other.
People with cashew or mango allergies should be cautious — Schinus terebinthifolia belongs to the Anacardiaceae family (same family as cashews, mangoes, and poison ivy). Cross-reactivity is possible though rare. If you have known Anacardiaceae allergies, consult a physician before consuming Christmas berry honey.
Varroa destructor arrived in Hawaii in 2007-2008 and devastated hive populations — Big Island Bees' operation shrank from over 3,800 hives to roughly 2,000 in the years following. Chemical-free beekeepers who refuse miticides face ongoing colony losses that require continual hive splitting and queen rearing to maintain numbers.
Trade wind variability affects nectar production: wet seasons reduce bee foraging hours, while dry spells can stress even established Brazilian pepper stands. Unlike temperate mainland bees that cluster in winter, Hawaiian colonies brood year-round, consuming more stored honey and demanding sustained nectar availability across all seasons.
Little fire ants and Argentine ants — both invasive species themselves — raid hives and compete for floral resources. The irony is not lost on Hawaiian beekeepers: their industry depends on one invasive species (Brazilian pepper for nectar) while being damaged by others (invasive ants attacking colonies).
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No. The Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolia) is invasive in Hawaii — classified as a noxious weed and listed on the state 'Don't Plant' list. It was introduced prior to 1900, likely as an ornamental, and now covers over 120,000 acres across all major islands. The honey is a contemporary Hawaiian commercial product, not a traditional cultural one.
Brazilian pepper is one of Hawaii's most reliable nectar sources. Beekeepers have actively opposed biocontrol programs because the honey is too economically valuable to lose. This creates a documented tension between ecological conservation (the tree displaces native vegetation) and agricultural economics (the tree supports beekeeping livelihoods).
Different in almost every way. Lehua is a culturally significant honey from a native Hawaiian tree (Metrosideros polymorpha), typically white to pale gold, and crystallizes readily into a creamy texture. Christmas berry is light amber, stays liquid, and has a spicy-peppery finish. Lehua carries deep Hawaiian cultural meaning; Christmas berry is a commercial product from an invasive species.
Yes, though in limited quantities. Big Island Bees sells online (including Amazon) and ships nationally. Hawaiian Rainbow Bees is another recognized Big Island producer. It is less commonly exported than lehua or macadamia blossom honey but is not difficult to find if you look for specific Hawaiian producers.
No. California 'Christmas berry' refers to Heteromeles arbutifolia (toyon), a completely different native plant in the rose family. Hawaiian Christmas berry is Schinus terebinthifolia (Brazilian pepper) in the Anacardiaceae family. The honeys are unrelated products from unrelated species on different islands.
The Brazilian pepper tree is in the Anacardiaceae family (related to mangoes and cashews). The peppery character appears to come from the same aromatic compounds that give the plant's berries their bite. Multiple independent producers and retailers describe the honey's flavor as spicy, peppery, or warm — this is its defining characteristic, not a defect. The §7.8 honey-character pass locked the variety as Spicy 8 (single-dominant).
People with cashew or mango allergies should be cautious. Schinus terebinthifolia belongs to the Anacardiaceae family (the same family as cashews, mangoes, and poison ivy). Cross-reactivity is possible though rare. If you have known Anacardiaceae allergies, consult a physician before consuming Christmas berry honey. The standard infant rule also applies: never give honey to children under 12 months.
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