Zanthoxylum clava-herculis
| Zanthoxylum clava-herculis | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 10' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Zanthoxylum clava-herculis (common name: hercules club)
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].
Plants are hardy to at least -15°c[5].
The leaves are often persistent until the following spring when the new leaves are produced[6].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Flowers are formed on the old wood[7].
Range: South-eastern N. America - Virginia to Florida, west to Texas and Arkansas.
Habitat: Usually found as scattered trees near the coast in light sandy soils, often on bluffs of islands, river banks or dunes[8]. Best growth is from plants in most rich soils with good drainage[8].
Edibility: The following report is for Z. americanum, it is probably also applicable to this species[K].
Seed - used as a condiment. A pepper substitute[9]. The fruit is rather small, about 4 - 5m in diameter[8], but is produced in dense clusters which makes harvesting easy[K]. Each fruit contains a single seed[8].
Medicinal: This species is quite widely used in herbal medicine, it has the same properties as Z. americanum, but is said to be more active[10].
All parts of the plant, but especially the bark and roots, contain the aromatic bitter oil xanthoxylin[10]. This has a number of applications in medicine[10]. The fruit has a similar medicinal action to the bark[10].
The bark and roots are irritant, odontalgic and antirheumatic[11]. Along with the fruit they are diaphoretic, stimulant and a useful tonic in debilitated conditions of the stomach and digestive organs[10]. They produce arterial excitement and are of use in the treatment of fevers, ague, poor circulation etc[10].
The fruits are considered more active than the bark, they are also antispasmodic, carminative, diuretic and antirheumatic[10][11][12].
The pulverized root and bark are used to ease the pain of toothache[11][12]. One report says that it is very efficacious, but the sensation of the acrid bark is fully as unpleasant as the toothache[11]. Chewing the bark induces copious salivation[12]. Rubbing the fruit against the skin, especially on the lips or in the mouth, produces a temporary loss of sensation[K].
A tea or tincture of the bark has been used in the treatment of rheumatism, dyspepsia, dysentery, heart and kidney troubles etc[12].
A tea made from the inner bark has been used to treat itchy skin[11].
Usage: Wood - light, soft, weak and close-grained[6][8]. It weighs 31lb per cubic foot[13]. Too small for commercial use[8].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Early Spring-Mid Winter
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Dioecious
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 Sargent, Charles. Manual of the Trees of North America. Dover, 1965.
- ↑ Larkcom, Joy. Oriental Vegetables. John Murray, 1991.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Elias, Thomas. The Complete Trees of North America. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1980.
- ↑ Coon, Nelson. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press, 1975.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Vines, Robert. Trees of North Texas. University of Texas Press, 1982.