Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.

Hercules' club (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Sapindales > Rutaceae > Zanthoxylum

Characteristics

A shrub or tree. It grows 3-10 m tall. It is spiny. The bark has corky lumps 2-3 cm long. The leaves are 20-30 cm long with 7-19 leaflets along the side. Each leaflet is 4-5 cm long. Male and female flowers are on separate plants. The flowering groups are 20 cm long. Each flower is 6-8 mm across. Fruit occur in clusters. The fruit are 6 mm across and have a rough surface. Fruit contain one seed.
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Tall shrub or small tree; lfls 5–19, obliquely lanceolate to ovate, shallowly crenate, glabrous; fls numerous in large terminal cymes; sep present; ovaries 2 or 3; frs nearly sessile, subglobose, 5 mm, wrinkled or pitted; 2n=72. Damp woods; Delmarva Penins., on outer coastal plain to Fla., thence w. to Tex., Ark., and se. Okla. Apr., May.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 3.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Usually found as scattered trees near the coast in light sandy soils, often on bluffs of islands, river banks or dunes. Best growth is from plants in most rich soils with good drainage.
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It is a temperate plant. It grows on sandy soils and can be in open or shaded positions. It suits hardiness zone 6.
Light 4-9
Soil humidity 4-6
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 6-8

Usage

Uses food material medicinal wood
Edible fruits seeds
Therapeutic use Toothache (bark), Antirheumatic agents (bark), Arthritis (bark), Improve blood circulation (bark), Nervous system diseases (fruit), General tonic for rejuvenation (fruit), Diaphoretic (fruit), Orthopedic Aid (root), Toothache (root), Cancer (unspecified), Chest (unspecified), Colic (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Gonorrhea (unspecified), Inflammation (unspecified), Itch (unspecified), Rheumatism (unspecified), Spasm (unspecified), Stimulant (unspecified), Sudorific (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified), Toothache (unspecified), Sore (unspecified), Alterative (unspecified), Carminative (unspecified), Diaphoretic (unspecified), Panacea (unspecified), Poultice (unspecified), Throat (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Zanthoxylum clava-herculis leaf picture by Skorpion (cc-by-sa)
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis leaf picture by Matthew Horrigan (cc-by-sa)
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis leaf picture by Mary Federico (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Zanthoxylum clava-herculis world distribution map, present in United States of America

Conservation status

Zanthoxylum clava-herculis threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:775655-1
WFO ID wfo-0001132900
COL ID 5CWDD
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Kampmannia fraxinifolium Xanthophyllon clava-herculis Fagara caroliniana Fagara clava-herculis Fagara fraxinifolia Zanthoxylum glandulosum Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Zanthoxylum hidalgense Zanthoxylum tricarpum Zanthoxylum alveolatum Zanthoxylum aromaticum Zanthoxylum aromaticum Pseudopetalon tricarpum Pseudopetalon glandulosum Zanthoxylum macrophyllum Xanthophyllon clavatum Zanthoxylum carolinianum Zanthoxylum clavatum Zanthoxylum clava-herculis subsp. clava-herculis Zanthoxylum catesbianum Fagara clava-herculis var. fruticosa

Lower taxons

Zanthoxylum clava-herculis subsp. fruticosum