Zanthoxylum gilletii
Zanthoxylum gilletii
Safety & Hazards
The bark is used as fish poison and arrow poison[1].
Cultivation Details
A plant of the moist tropics, where it can be found at elevations between 900 - 2,400 metres[2]. The mean annual rainfall in its area of distribution is 1,200 - 2,400mm, characterised by a distinct dry season not exceeding 2-3 months[1, 2]. Prefers well-drained soils[1]. The tree grows fairly rapidly. Seedlings may reach a height of 40 - 70cm after their first year, and annual growth rates are 35 - 50cm. Trees with a bole diameter of 50cm have been found in secondary forest of 40 years old[1]. Trees may start flowering when 10 years old[1]. Flowering is very irregular, a phenomenon attributed to climatic conditions[2]. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if seed is required.
Propagation
Germination starts 3 weeks after sowing. Seeds are recalcitrant and the germination rate is often low. Germination rates of 20 - 50% have been reported, but in western Kenya rates of up to 80% in 75 - 120 days. The oily and hard seed coat contributes to the often poor germination. Washing seeds thoroughly with a soap solution improves the germination rate and reduces the germination period significantly. In West Africa it has been recorded that germination is rapid and that viability of the seed is short. The seed should be kept in the shade, and can be stored for up to 2 months. To prevent insect attacks, ash should be added. Wildlings are commonly used for planting because of the erratic germination. Seedlings are pricked out into tubes at 5 - 12 days after germination, or 3 - 4 seeds are sown directly in tubes. The seedlings should be grown in the shade and slowly hardened. They are ready for transplanting after 5 - 7 months[1]. Seedlings are light-demanding and natural regeneration may be abundant in large gaps in the forest and in regrowth of old farmland. In Liberia seedlings are commonly present in such localities, but reportedly never gregarious[1]. Fruits should be collected from the tree before they open but when already reddish brown. They should be dried in the sun for 1 - 2 days, and subsequently the seed can be shaken out. The 1000-seed weight is 15 - 35 g. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Zanthoxylum+gilletii>
Pollinators
Insects
References
- [1]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
- [2]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.
- [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]The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. — Burkil. H. M. · Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew. · 1985 - 2004 ↩︎Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
- [5]Field Guide to the Moist Forest Trees of Tanzania. — Lovett J.C.; Ruffo C.K.; Gereau R.E.; Taplin J.R.D · Frontier · http://www.york.ac.uk/res/celp/webpages/projects/ecology/tree%20guide/introduction.htm · ISBN 1-873070-33-0 ↩︎A lovely little book giving a basic identification guide to more than 650 species of trees growing in Tanzania. It is also available to view on the internet.