Zanthoxylum ailanthoides
Family: Rutaceae
What it is like
Zanthoxylum ailanthoides is a deciduous Tree growing to 18 m (59ft 1in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9. The species is dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required). . 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.
Height (m): 18
Where it is found
Mountains, C. and S. Japan.
E. Asia - S. China, Japan.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
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.
Condiment: the various plants that are used as flavourings, either as herbs, spices or condiments.
Medicine
Rating: 1
The resin contained in the bark, and especially in that of the roots, is antitussive, carminative, and powerfully stimulant.
Antitussive: Prevents or relieves coughing.
Carminative: Reduces flatulence and expels gas from the intestines.
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.
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Prefers a good deep well-drained moisture retentive soil in full sun or semi-shade. A rather frost-tender species, it is not hardy in most of Britain but succeeds outdoors in the mildest areas of the country. Flowers are formed on the old wood. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
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 Canopy; Secondary; Sunny Edge;
Habit: Tree
Hardiness: 8-11
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist