Common Name:

General Information

Zanthoxylum usambarense is a shrub growing from 2 - 5 metres tall, or a tree usually growing up to 6 metres tall, but occasionally to 15 metres[]. The bole is around 40cm in diameter and can be clear of branches for several metres. It is armed with spinose bosses[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of timber.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

East tropical Africa - Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, eastern DR Congo, Zambia.

Habitat

Wooded savannah; montane scrub forest; evergreen bushland or deciduous woodland on rocky slopes; marshy wooded places; sometimes secondary bushland following Podocarpus clearance at elevations from 1,200 - 2,600 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	5.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if seed is required.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The bark is used as an emetic and as a medicine to treat malaria and rheumatism[].

Other Uses

The wood is used for timber, domestic utensils, bows, beehives, stools and grain mortars[].
The wood can be used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed -

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