Candle wood, Senegal prickly ash
Zanthoxylum zanthoxyloides

Family: Rutaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It grows 6-8 m tall. It has spines. The trunk is straight and short. The branches are usually low down. The crown is round. The bark is grey and rough with fine cracks. The leaves are alternate and smooth. They are compound with leaflets along the stalk and one at the end. There are 5-7 pairs of opposite leaflets. The leaves are about 12 cm long. The leaflets are 5-10 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. They small of pepper and lemon when crushed. The flowers are of one sex and white or green. They are along stalks in loose groups 5-15 cm long. The fruit is an oval follicle. It is 5-6 mm across. There is one seed.

It contains an alkaloid and some acids giving them an aroma. The bark and leaves are used in medicine.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in woodland and savannah. It also grows in palm groves and coastal sands.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, West Africa

How it is used for food

The dried leaves are used as flavouring. They are applied like pepper for meat and sauces. The fruit are eaten fresh and also fermented.

Edible parts

Leaves - flavouring, seeds - spice, bark, seeds - flavouring, fruit, root

How it is grown

It is grown as a hedge. Trees can be cut back and will re-grow.

It often flowers twice a year.

Its other names

Local names

Fagara jaune, Igi ata, Mubuo, Sanouyele, Senegal prickly ash, Tchanouwele, Toothache bark

Synonyms

Fagara senegalensis (DC.) A. Chev.; Fagara zanthoxyloides Lam.; Zanthoxylum senegalense DC.;