Zanthoxylum acanthopodium
DC.
Rutaceae
Common Name:
Ripe fruits - a few have split open to reveal the purplish-black seeds
Photograph by: Jubbuh
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Ripe fruits - a few have split open to reveal the purplish-black seeds
Photograph by: Jubbuh
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Cultivated plant in the Kunming Botanical Garden, Kunming, Yunnan, China
Photograph by: Daderot
Public domain
General Information
Zanthoxylum acanthopodium is a prickly, evergreen plant that varies in habit from a shrub to a woody climber or a small tree. It can grow up to 6 metres tall[
266- Title
- Flora of China
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
- Year
- 1994
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
].
The plant is mainly gathered from the wild for its essential oil and medicinal use, though it is also sometimes cultivated[
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
266- Title
- Flora of China
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
- Year
- 1994
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
Range
E. Asia - southern China, India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia,
Habitat
Upland open forests and thickets at elevations from 1,400 - 3,200 metres[
266- Title
- Flora of China
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
- Year
- 1994
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
]. Montane forest margins[
334- Title
- Flora of Peninsula Malaysia
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.tfbc.frim.gov.my
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- In the process of being assembled (15/07/09), it is currently a series of check sheets giving species name, brief description, habitat and high quality photos of the plants.
]. Rocky places and hanging from cliffs in the Himalayas[
272- Title
- Plants and People of Nepal
- Publication
-
- Author
- Manandhar. N. P.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 0-88192-527-6
- Description
- Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Tree |
| Height | 5.00 m |
| Pollinators | Insects |
| Self-fertile | No |
| Cultivation Status | Cultivated, Wild |
Cultivation Details
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if seed is required.
Edible Uses
The seeds are dried, ground into a powder and used as a food flavouring[
272- Title
- Plants and People of Nepal
- Publication
-
- Author
- Manandhar. N. P.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 0-88192-527-6
- Description
- Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.
]. Almost certainly a mild, peppery flavour[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
Medicinal
The seeds and bark are used in the treatment of dyspepsia, fever, cholera, etc[
655- Title
- Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported. Vol. 59
- Publication
- USDA Bureau of Plant Industry
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- USDA Government Printing Office; Washington DC.
- Year
- 1922
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Details of seeds and plants imported for trials by the United States Department of Agriculture in the second quarter of 1919, often detailing the uses of the plant and various other miscellaneous information. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
Other Uses
The plant is used as an insecticide[
].
An essential oil, called 'wartara oil', is extracted from the fruits by distillation[
272- Title
- Plants and People of Nepal
- Publication
-
- Author
- Manandhar. N. P.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 2002
- ISBN
- 0-88192-527-6
- Description
- Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.
,
]. It is used in perfumery[
].
The yellow wood is close-grained. It is used for making walking sticks, pestles, etc[
655- Title
- Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported. Vol. 59
- Publication
- USDA Bureau of Plant Industry
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- USDA Government Printing Office; Washington DC.
- Year
- 1922
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Details of seeds and plants imported for trials by the United States Department of Agriculture in the second quarter of 1919, often detailing the uses of the plant and various other miscellaneous information. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
Propagation
Seed -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
