Herb latin name: Zanthoxylum ailanthoides


Family: Rutaceae (Rue Family, Citrus Family)



Medicinal use of Zanthoxylum ailanthoides:

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

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Tree

Height:
18 m
(59 feet)

Habitat of the herb:

Mountains, C. and S. Japan.

Edible parts of Zanthoxylum ailanthoides:

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.

Propagation of the herb:

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, July/August 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.

Cultivation of Zanthoxylum ailanthoides:

Mountains, C. and S. Japan.

Known hazards of Zanthoxylum ailanthoides:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.