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Zanthoxylum nitidum
Rutaceae FAMILY

Zanthoxylum nitidum

Zanthoxylum nitidum

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

Plants are slightly toxic[1]. The pounded plant has been placed in water to stupefy fish[2].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Climber
Growth—

Zanthoxylum nitidum is a plant mainly of the tropics and subtropics and is unlikely to tolerate much, if any, frost. Its range extends to hardiness zone nine in southern China (from Yunnan to Zhejiang) and so it might also succeed outdoors in the warmest parts of the temperate zone. Prefers a good deep well-drained moisture retentive soil in full sun or semi-shade[3, 4, 5]. Flowers are formed on the old wood[6]. A dioecious species, both male and female forms must be grown if seed is required. Occasional plants have both male and female flowers (monoecious)[2].

Propagation

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[7]. 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, mid summer in a frame. Root cuttings, 3cm long, planted horizontally in pots in a greenhouse. Good percentage[8]. Suckers, removed in late winter and planted into their permanent positions[7]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Zanthoxylum+nitidum>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]A Barefoot Doctors Manual. — ? · Running Press; Philadelphica. · 1977 · ISBN 0-914294-92-X ↩︎A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.
  2. [2]Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. Vol. 47 — Harvard University; Cambridge, Mass. · 1966 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎A treatment of the Malaysian species of Zanthoxylum, amongst other articles. It can be downloaded from the internet.
  3. [3]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  4. [4]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  5. [5]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  6. [6]Oriental Vegetables — Larkcom J. · John Murray · 1991 · ISBN 0-7195-4781-4 ↩︎Well written and very informative.
  7. [7]The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. — Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. · Athens Ga. Varsity Press · 1987 · ISBN 0942375009 ↩︎A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.
  8. [8]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  9. [9]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
  10. [10]Medicinal Plants in Vietnam — Nguyen Van Dan & Doan Thi Nhu · World Health Organisation · 1989 · ISBN 92 9061 101 4 ↩︎An excellent book, giving information on over 200 plants, their medicinal compounds and applications.
  11. [11]Flore Forestière de la Cochinchine — Pierre L. · 1883-1889 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ ↩︎Written in French and, although rather dated, remains an excellent reference for woody plants from IndoChina. There is a description of the plant, often followed by a resumé of uses, and some truly excellent line drawings.
  12. [12]Medicinal Plants of China — Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. · Reference Publications, Inc. · 1985 · ISBN 0-917256-20-4 ↩︎Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
  13. [13]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
  14. [14]Manual of the Trees of N. America. — Sargent. C. S. · Dover Publications Inc. New York. · 1965 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ · ISBN 0-486-20278-X ↩︎Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader. It can be downloaded from the internet.