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Zanthoxylum chalybeum
Rutaceae FAMILY

Zanthoxylum chalybeum

Zanthoxylum chalybeum

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
Growth—

A plant of the tropics and subtropics, where it can be found at elevations up to 1,600 metres[1]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 24°c, but can tolerate 12 - 32°c[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall of 800 - 1,400mm, but tolerates 750 - 1,500mm, growing in areas where there is a distinct dry season[1]. Grows best in a sunny position[1]. Prefers a well-drained soil[1]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 7, tolerating 5 - 7.5[1]. Established plants are drought tolerant[1]. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe[2]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Zanthoxylum+chalybeum>

Pollinators

Bees, Insects

References

  1. [1]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  2. [2]Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania — Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B. · Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi. · 2002 · ISBN 9966-896-60-0 ↩︎A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
  3. [3]African Flowering Plants Database — Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques. · http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php ↩︎Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
  4. [4]Flora of Somalia — Thulin M. (Editor) · Kew Publishing, London. · 1993 ↩︎Detailed information on the plants of the region, often adding notes on the plants uses.
  5. [5]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.