Zanthoxylum americanum
Prickly Ash
a perennial woody deciduous member of the Zanthoxylum genus in the family Rutaceae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Rutaceae
- Genus
- Zanthoxylum
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Foliage
- deciduous
- Woodiness
- woody
- Height
- 4 m
- Spread
- 4 m
- Fertility
- self sterile
- Flower type
- dioecious
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - cooked. It is used as a condiment. A pepper substitute[2]. The fruit is rather small, about 4 - 5m in diameter[9], but is produced in dense clusters which makes harvesting easy[K]. Each fruit contains a single seed[9].
- Product or use
- Condiment
Medicinal uses
Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Prickly ash is a warming, stimulating herb that is beneficial for the circulation. It was highly regarded by the native North American Indians who used it especially to alleviate rheumatism and toothache[12]. All parts of the plant, but especially the bark and roots, contain the aromatic bitter oil xanthoxylin[9]. This has a number of applications in medicine, especially in the treatment of arthritic and rheumatic conditions, digestive problems and leg ulcers[9][12]. The fruit has a similar medicinal action to the bark[14]. The bark and roots are irritant, odontalgic and antirheumatic[7]. Along with the fruit they are diaphoretic, stimulant and a useful tonic in debilitated conditions of the stomach and digestive organs[14]. They produce arterial excitement and are of use in the treatment of fevers, ague, poor circulation etc[14]. The fruits are considered more active than the bark, they are also antispasmodic, carminative, diuretic and antirheumatic[14][7][8]. The pulverized root and bark are used to ease the pain of toothache[7][8]. One report says that it is very efficacious, but the sensation of the acrid bark is fully as unpleasant as the toothache[7]. Chewing the bark induces copious salivation[8]. Rubbing the fruit against the skin, especially on the lips or in the mouth, produces a numbing effect[K]. A tea or tincture of the bark has been used in the treatment of rheumatism, dyspepsia, dysentery, heart and kidney troubles etc[8]. A tea made from the inner bark has been used to treat itchy skin[7][13].
- Product or use
- Anodyne
- Product or use
- Antirheumatic
- Product or use
- Antispasmodic
- Product or use
- Carminative
- Product or use
- Diaphoretic
- Product or use
- Diuretic
- Product or use
- Irritant
- Product or use
- Odontalgic
- Product or use
- Sialagogue
- Product or use
- Skin
- Product or use
- Stimulant
Material uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The fruits have been used by young men as a perfume[13]. Wood - soft. It weighs 35lb per cubic foot[10]. Of little use[9].
- Product or use
- Essential
Environment
- Range
- Eastern N. America - Quebec to Florida, west to Minnesota and Oklahoma.
- Habitat
- Found on upland rocky hillsides and on moist low-lying sites, in open woods, on bluffs or in thickets[9].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 3+
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
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[4]. 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, July/August in a frame. Root cuttings, 3cm long, planted horizontally in pots in a greenhouse. Good percentage[15]. Suckers, removed in late winter and planted into their permanent positions[4].
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Prefers a good deep well-drained moisture retentive soil in full sun or semi-shade[1][3][5]. A relatively fast-growing plant in the wild, it often forms thickets by means of root suckers[9]. All parts of the plant are fragrant. The bruised foliage has a delicious resinous orange-like perfume[11]. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. Flowers are formed on the old wood[6].
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Coon. N. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-87857-090-x
Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00
Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4
Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225
Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622
Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996-00-00 ISBN 9-780751-303148
Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00