Common Name:

General Information

Zanthoxylum ailanthoides is an apparently evergreen tree growing up to 25 metres tall.
The plant is sometimes gathered from the wild for its edible seed, medicinal uses and timber, which are used locally.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - southern China, central and southern Japan, Korea, Philippines.

Habitat

Mountains[]. Upland thickets; at elevations from 300 - 1,500 metres[]. Lowland forests; at elevations up to 300 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	18.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant mainly of warm temperate to subtropical regions, just entering into the tropics in the northern Philippines. It is a rather frost-tender species[, ].
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 seed is required.

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked. A pungent flavour, it is used as a condiment[]. A red pepper substitute[]. The fruit is rather small but is produced in clusters which makes harvesting easy[]. Each fruit contains a single seed.

Young leaves[]. No more details are given.

Medicinal

The resin contained in the bark, and especially in that of the roots, is antitussive, carminative, and powerfully stimulant[, ].

Other Uses

The wood is used locally to make canoes[].

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[].