Peppertree
Zanthoxylum schinifolium

Family: Rutaceae

What it is like

Yellow autumn colour. Valuable for butterflies

Zanthoxylum schinifolium is a deciduous Shrub growing to 4 m (13ft 1in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6. It is in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen in October. The plant is not self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Height (m): 4

Where it is found

Low mountains, C. and S. Japan. Roadsides in Korea.

E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

Seed - cooked. It is used as a condiment, a pepper substitute. Young leaves. No more details are given.

Condiment: the various plants that are used as flavourings, either as herbs, spices or condiments.

Medicine

Rating: 2

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.

Anaesthetic: Numbs the feeling in a local or general area of the body.

Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.

Parasiticide: Treats external parasites such as ringworm This should perhaps be joined with Parasiticide in

Stimulant: Excites or quickens activity of the physiological processes. Faster acting than a tonic but differing from a narcotic in that it does not give a false sense of well-being.

Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.

Vasodilator: Widens the blood vessels, thereby reducing blood pressure.

Other

Rating: 0

Parasiticide: Kills external body parasites such as hair lice.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

Uses: Clearstem tree, multi-stem tree, specimen tree, specimen shrub; Parks, tree containers, cemeteries, roof gardens, large gardens. Prefers a good deep well-drained moisture retentive soil in full sun or semi-shade. Flowers are formed on the old wood. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. Self-sown seedlings have occasionally been observed growing in bare soil in the shade of the parent plant.

Propagating it: 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.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge;

Habit: Shrub

Hardiness: 5-9

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Fagara pteropoda. Zanthoxylum mantschuricum. Zanthoxylum pteropodum