[11] In South Africa, for example, S. molle has invaded savanna and grasslands and become naturalized along drainage lines and roadsides in semi-desert.

[11] It is also invasive throughout much of Australia in a range of habitats from grasslands to dry open forest and coastal areas, as well as railway sidings and abandoned farms.

[6] Presently Schinus molle lacks generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status with the United States Food and Drug Administration.

[13] In traditional medicine, S. molle was used in treating a variety of wounds and infections due to its antibacterial and antiseptic properties.

[14][15] It has also been speculated that S. molle's insecticidal properties make it a good candidate for use as an alternative to synthetic chemicals in pest control.

[citation needed] There is archaeological evidence that the Wari state of the Middle Horizon (600–1000 AD) used the drupes of S. molle extensively for producing chicha, a fermented alcoholic beverage.

[10][18][19] Archaeological excavations at the Quilcapampa site in southern Peru, found evidence that the Wari used seeds from the vilca tree (Anadenanthera colubrina) and combined the hallucinogenic drug with chicha.

"However, S. molle fell out of favor as a street tree in the early twentieth century, in part because it hosts black scale, an insect which threatened the citrus groves of Southern California.

[22] The trees also tend to break up sidewalks with their roots, produce suckers, and interfere with buried telephone wires and sewer pipes.

[6] The seeds have a particularly hard coat and germination rates are greatly improved after they have passed through the gut of birds or other animals.