Zanthoxylum leprieurii Guill. & Perr.

Medium-sized tree 6–15 m. high and up to 40 cm. in diameter at the base; stem or trunk armed with conical woody prickle-bearing outgrowths up to 6 cm. long; branches armed with short strong prickles; prickles 3–8 cm. long, brown with darker tips, straight or sometimes bent forwards or recurved.. Leaves 15–55 cm. long; rhachis sometimes with recurved or straight prickles; petiolule 1–3 mm. long on lateral leaflets, and up to 25 mm. on terminal leaflet(s), the terminal leaflets sometimes in pairs; leaflets 4–8(–12) pairs, opposite or subopposite, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, usually unequal-sided, 2.5–12(–16) cm. long, 1.5–4(–7.5) cm. broad, acuminate or caudate at the apex, oblique and cuneate at the base, apparently entire towards the base but generally crenate-serrulate above, glabrous, coriaceous; gland-dots darker than the lamina surface; lateral nerves 8–16 pairs, fine and rather closely arranged.. Inflorescence an axillary panicle with sessile mostly alternate flowers on the primary panicle branches, 15–30(–45) cm. long, puberulent with short glandular hairs to glabrescent; peduncle occasionally armed at the base; bracts short.. Sepals 4, slightly united at the base, broadly ovate, 0.4–0.6 mm. long.. Petals 4, oblong, 1.5–2 mm. long, 0.8–1 mm. broad, creamy white.. Male flowers: stamens 4; rudimentary unicarpellate pistil present.. Female flowers: vestigial staminodes 4; disk subcylindrical; ovary globose, ± 1 mm. in diameter.. Fruit a subglobose follicle 4–5 mm. in diameter, subsessile, reddish, foveolate.. Seeds subglobose, 3–3.5 mm. in diameter, black and shiny.

A tropical plant. It grows in the under-storey in forests and near streams in open country. In Nigeria it is recorded at 750 and 1,500 m above sea level.

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings.