Common Name:

General Information

Zanthoxylum rhetsa is a deciduous tree with a spreading crown growing up to 35 metres tall. The tree has a rather long bole that can be up to 75cm in diameter[, ].
The plant is occasionally cultivated, especially in Sri Lanka, and the seeds are exported to China and Iran for use as a spice[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea.

Habitat

Rather dry, often monsoonal, forests and thickets at elevations up to 500 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	30.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a good deep well-drained moisture retentive soil in full sun or semi-shade[, , ].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms must be grown if seed is required.

Edible Uses

The bark is utilized a as spice[, ]. It has a lime-pepper flavour and is added to foods as a seasoning or cooked in a syrup with spices and then made into a relish[].
The immature fruits are utilized as a spice[, ]. The fruit wall has the taste and aroma of orange peel[].

The seeds serve as a substitute for black pepper[, , ]. The ripe seeds taste at first like lemons but with a burning after-sensation[].

The fruits and tender leaves are eaten cooked[]. The young leaves are used as a seasoning[].

The leaves are used like hops when brewing rice beer[, ].

Medicinal

The peel of the fruits, the seeds, the bark of the stems and roots as well as the oil (mullillam-oil), extracted from the fruits, are used for medicinal purposes[].

A decoction of the bark is taken internally as a cure for pains in the chest[, ].
The bark is pounded and mixed with oil then used externally as a remedy for stomach pains. When chewed it is applied to snakebites[, ].

The fruits are aromatic, astringent, stimulant, and stomachic. They are used in the treatment of dyspepsia, asthma and bronchitis, heart troubles, toothache and rheumatism[].

The skin of the fruit is credited with astringent, stimulant and digestive properties[].

An oil obtained by steam distillation is used as a traditional remedy for cholera. It is further applied as an antiseptic and disinfectant[]. The report does not say which part of the plant yields this essential oil, but it is likely to be the fruit[].

Other Uses

The yellowish-grey wood is moderately hard, close-grained[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe. Stored seed may requires up to 3 months cold stratification, though scarification may also help[]. Germination should take place within 6 months, though it might take another 12 months. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them until large enough to plant out.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood.
Root cuttings, 3cm long, planted horizontally in pots. Good percentage[].
Suckers, removed when the plant is dormant, and planted direct into their permanent positions[].

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