Zanthoxylum piperitum (L.) Dc.

A shrubby tree. It grows 3-6 m high. It spreads 3 m wide. It has prickles on both the stem and the branches. It loses its leaves during the year. The leaves are clusters 30 cm long divided into 5-11 oval leaflets. The flowers are greenish-yellow. They appear before the leaves. The fruit are small reddish-brown berries. These are 5 mm across. The fruit split when drying to reveal a tiny black seed. Probably now Zanthoxylum bungeanum.

It is a temperate plant. It grows naturally in Szechwan province in SW China. It suits hardiness zones 7-10. Hobart Botanical Gardens.

The leaves give a hot peppery taste. They are dried and powdered and used as a spice. They are also pickled. The seeds are ground with salt to make a dip. The flower has a tangy taste. The flowers and immature fruit are pickled or preserved in soy sauce. The leaves are boiled and eaten with oil and salt. The seeds are used as a spice or condiment. The dried fruit hulls are ground and used for flavouring soups, buckwheat noodles and rice dishes.

Plants can be grown by seed. They can also be grown by root cuttings.