Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides (Lam.) B.Zepernick & Timler

Species

Angiosperms > Sapindales > Rutaceae > Zanthoxylum

Characteristics

A shrub or small tree. It grows 6-8 m tall. It has spines. The trunk is straight and short. The branches are usually low down. The crown is round. The bark is grey and rough with fine cracks. The leaves are alternate and smooth. They are compound with leaflets along the stalk and one at the end. There are 5-7 pairs of opposite leaflets. The leaves are about 12 cm long. The leaflets are 5-10 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. They small of pepper and lemon when crushed. The flowers are of one sex and white or green. They are along stalks in loose groups 5-15 cm long. The fruit is an oval follicle. It is 5-6 mm across. There is one seed.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support -
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 10.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Savannah, thickets, dry and transitional forests, forest patches on dry ground, secondary dry forests; coastal dunes and thickets; termite mounds; locally abundant in coastal areas.
More
It is a tropical plant. It grows in woodland and savannah. It also grows in palm groves and coastal sands.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

The dried leaves are used as flavouring. They are applied like pepper for meat and sauces. The fruit are eaten fresh and also fermented.
Uses environmental use food fuel gene source material medicinal poison social use wood
Edible barks fruits leaves roots seeds
Therapeutic use Analgesic (unspecified), Anodyne (unspecified), Antiseptic (unspecified), Caries (unspecified), Colic (unspecified), Conjunctivitis (unspecified), Enema (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Leprosy (unspecified), Narcotic (unspecified), Puerperium (unspecified), Rheumatism (unspecified), Stomach (unspecified), Swelling (unspecified), Syphilis (unspecified), Toothache (unspecified), Vermifuge (unspecified), Diarrhea (unspecified), Edema (unspecified), Gastritis (unspecified), Paralysis (unspecified), Sore (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

It is grown as a hedge. Trees can be cut back and will re-grow.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides leaf picture by Maarten Vanhove (cc-by-sa)
Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides leaf picture by Maarten Vanhove (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides world distribution map, present in Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo

Conservation status

Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:909846-1
WFO ID wfo-0000429422
COL ID 5CWTN
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Fagara senegalensis Fagara zanthoxyloides Zanthoxylum senegalense Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides