Common Name:

General Information

Zanthoxylum schinifolium is a prickly, deciduous shrub; it usually grows 1 - 2 metres tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for use as a food and a flavouring - the seed is sold in local markets in Japan[]. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - eastern and southern China, southern and central Japan (including the Ryukyus), Korea.

Habitat

Low mountains[]. Roadsides in Korea[]. Upland open forests and thickets; at elevations below 800 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	4.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a good deep well-drained moisture retentive soil in full sun or semi-shade[, , ].
Flowers are formed on the old wood[].
A dioecious species - both male and female forms must be grown if fruit and seed are required. Self-sown seedlings have occasionally been observed growing in bare soil in the shade of the parent plant[].

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked. It can be used either fresh or dried as a condiment, a pepper substitute[, ].

Young leaves[]. No more details are given.

Medicinal

The pericarp is anaesthetic, diuretic, parasiticide and vasodilator[]. It is used in the treatment of gastralgia and dyspepsia due to cold with vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, ascariasis and dermal diseases[]. It has a local anaesthetic action and is parasiticide against the pork tapeworm (Taenia solium)[].
The pericarp contains geraniol. In small doses this has a mild diuretic action, though large doses will inhibit the excretion of urine[]. There is a persistent increase in peristalsis at low concentration, but inhibition at high concentration[].
The resin contained in the bark, and especially in that of the roots, is powerfully stimulant and tonic[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe in the autumn. Stored seed may requires up to 3 months cold stratification, though scarification may also help[]. Sow stored seed in a cold frame as early in the year as possible. Germination should take place in late spring, though it might take another 12 months. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in early summer.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame.
Root cuttings, 3cm long, planted horizontally in pots in a greenhouse. Good percentage[].
Suckers, removed in late winter and planted into their permanent positions[].