Zanthoxylum armatum
DC.
Nepal pepper, Prickly ash bark
(c) zcguoxia, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) 红梅, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) 红梅, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit, Leaves, Twigs, Spice
Fresh fruit are pickled and used as a spice, while the dried fruit shells are used for seasoning. The seeds are used in seasoning for pickles and chutneys. Young twigs are sold in markets and used as a spice, and young leaves are used as a condiment in dishes like beef curry.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
It is a subtropical plant. It grows in rainforest and often at higher elevations. In SE Asia it grows up to 1750 m altitude. In Nepal plants grow between 110-2900 m altitude. In Argentina it grows above 700 m above sea level. In Yunnan.
Argentina, Asia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, NW India, Pacific, Pakistan, Philippines, SE Asia, South America, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam,
How to Identify
A spiny shrub. It grows about 3-6 m high. It can lose its leaves during the year. The bark is corky. The branches have strong prickles. The leaves have stalks. They are alternate. They are slightly winged. There are spines at the base. The leaves are 5-23 cm long. There are an odd number of leaflets. There are 3-9 leaflets. They are 2-10 cm long by 1.5-2.5 cm wide. They do not have a leaf stalk. They are sword shaped and dotted with glands. The flowers are small and white. They occur in loose clusters. These can be at the ends of branches or in the axils of leaves. Male and female flowers are separate. The fruit are round and red. They split into two valves. There is a single seed in each section which is shiny and black.
Nutrition Score: 57/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 54.2 | — | 374 | 18.4 | — | — | 0.2 | 0.3 |
How to Grow
Plants are grown from seed or branch cuttings.
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe. Stored seed may requires up to 3 months cold stratification, though scarification may also help. Germination should take place within 6 months, though it might take another 12 months. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them until large enough to plant out. Cuttings of half-ripe wood. Root cuttings, 3cm long, planted horizontally in pots. Good percentage. Suckers, removed when the plant is dormant, and planted direct into their permanent positions.
Medicinal Uses
The fruit and seeds of the plant are used as a spice, timut pepper, related to Sichuan pepper, but less pungent, while the bark, fruit and seeds are used in indigenous medicines in India, Nepal and Thailand. The plant is also a source of an essential oil, Wartara Oil, and the shrub is also grown as an ornamental garden plant. In the Salyan district of Nepal, the parts used in medicine are harvested primarily of export to India. The plants grow in state-controlled, community-controlled and private lands, resulting in a variety of access regimes, harvesting regimes and management practices, leading to a conclusion that in general the effects of supply and demand on Non-timber forest products (NTFP) cannot be generalised, but are specific to each product and place. Extracts have been shown to inhibit the growth of Porphyromonas gingivalis – the main bacteria involved in Periodontal disease and suspected cause of Alzheimer's disease.
Other Uses
The fruit contains 1.5% essential oil. The fruit is used to purify water. The bark is pungent. Toothbrushes are made from the branches. They are used especially to relieve the pain of toothaches. The bark has been used as an insect repellent. The yellow wood is heavy, hard, close grained. Used for walking sticks. The wood is used for fuel. The plant is occasionally cultivated as a hedge. The plant is traditionally grown in living fences in the northwestern Himalayas, where it helps to exclude livestock and other animals; mark out land boundaries; whilst also providing a range of medicinal and other uses.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Zanthoxylum armatum, also called winged prickly ash or rattan pepper in English, is a species of plant in the family Rutaceae. It is an aromatic, deciduous, spiny shrub growing to 3.5 metres (11 ft) in height, endemic from Pakistan across to Southeast Asia and up to Korea and Japan. It is one of the sources of the spice Sichuan pepper, and also used in folk medicine, essential oil production and as an ornamental garden plant.
Other Information
The twigs are sold in markets. It is cultivated.
Notes
There are about 200 Zanthoxylum species.
Names & Synonyms
Ah hihlou, Akhiklou, Baletimur, Bhale timur, Bu ga, Changkao, Chi-it, D(aws)ng cay s(er)n gai, Dambara, Darmar, Dhiva, Gaira, Gandhalu, Ganya, Gawra-kha-nan-nan, G.yer-ma, Hling-hiar, Jajur, Khagi, Lingnamsia, Lu ga jian, Ma:d, Mak kak, Mejen, Mike-cup, Nech chi, Nepali dhaniya, Nepali thaniya, Ombae, Onier, Parpare timur, Prumo, Sibit-paklauit, Singzor, Sunguru-kung, Tambul, Tejphal, Taza-bo, Temro, Tezbal, Tezmal, Timal, Timbar, Timbat, Timbru, Timber, Timbur, Timru, Timur, Tirmir, Tsogok, Tumburu, Tumru, Tundopoda, Wild Chinese pepper, Winged prickly ash, Yer, Za la
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