Sand knobwood
Zanthoxylum leprieurii

Family: Rutaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It grows to 20 m high. The trunk can be 40 cm across. It has spines. The branches form low down. The crown is spreading.

There are about 200 Zanthoxylum species. It is considered a medicine.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in the under-storey in forests and near streams in open country. In Nigeria it is recorded at 750 and 1,500 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit, spice, leaves

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Barquelem, Cranha, Madja, Mantcha, Mantchu, Melem, Oksanda

Synonyms

Fagara angolensis Engl.; Fagara attiensis Hutch. & Dalz.; Fagara beniensis Engl.; Fagara kelekete De Wild.; Fagara kibomboensis De Wild.; Fagara leprieurii (Guill. et Perr.) Engl.; Fagara nitens (Hiern) Engl.; Fagara olung Engl.; Fagara polycantha Engl.; Fagara stuhlmannii (Engl.) Engl.; Zanthoxylum nitens Hiern;