Zanthoxylum alatum
| Zanthoxylum alatum | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 13' |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Zanthoxylum alatum (common name: winged prickly ash)
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[1]. 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, July/August in a frame.
Root cuttings, 3cm long, planted horizontally in pots in a greenhouse. Good percentage[2].
Suckers, removed in late winter and planted into their permanent positions[1].
Cultivation: Prefers a good deep well-drained moisture retentive soil in full sun or semi-shade[3][4][5].
This species is closely related to Z. planispinum[5].
Flowers are formed on the old wood[6].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Range: E. Asia - China to the Himalayas.
Habitat: Forest undergrowth and hot valleys to 1800 metres in the Himalayas.
Edibility: The seed is ground into a powder and used as a condiment[7]. A pepper substitute, it is widely used in the Orient[8][9][10][7]. A light roasting brings out more of the flavour[6]. The seed is an ingredient of the famous Chinese 'five spice' mixture[6]. The fruit is rather small but is produced in clusters which makes harvesting easy[K]. Each fruit contains a single seed.
Young leaves are used as a condiment[8][10][7].
Medicinal: The seeds and the bark are used as an aromatic tonic in the treatment of fevers, dyspepsia and cholera[11].
The fruits, branches and thorns are considered to be carminative and stomachic[12][13][14][10][11]. They are used as a remedy for toothache[11].
Usage: The fruit contains 1.5% essential oil[11].
The fruit is used to purify water[14][10].
Toothbrushes are made from the branches[14][10].
Wood - heavy, hard, close grained. Used for walking sticks[14][10].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Dioecious
Also Known As: Z. armatum.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Larkcom, Joy. Oriental Vegetables. John Murray, 1991.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Corbetta, Francisco. The COmplete Book of Fruits and Vegetables. 1985.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Gupta, Basant. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press, 1945.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Gamble, James. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1972.