Zanthoxylum clava-herculis
Encyclopedia
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis, the Hercules' Club (or Hercules-club), pepperwood, or Southern prickly ash, is a spiny tree
or shrub
native to the southeastern United States
. It grows to 10-17 m tall and has distinctive spined thick, corky lumps 2-3 cm long on the bark
. The leaves
are glabrous and leathery,
pinnately compound, 20-30 cm long with 7-19 leaflets, each leaflet 4-5 cm long. The flower
s are dioecious
, in panicles up to 20 cm long, each flower small, 6-8 mm diameter, with 3-5 white petals. The fruit
is a two-valved capsule 6 mm diameter with a rough surface, and containing several small black seed
s. The tree has also been called Z. macrophyllum. The genus name is sometimes spelled Xanthoxylum.
Along with the related Zanthoxylum americanum
, it is sometimes called "toothache tree" or "tingle tongue" because of the numbness of the mouth, teeth, and tongue induced by chewing on its leaves or bark (thus relieving toothache).
It was used for such medicinal purposes by both Native Americans and early settlers.
The tree has a rounded crown and requires plentiful water and sunlight. Its leaves are browsed by deer
and its fruit is eaten by birds.
The fruit passes through birds, which helps the seeds to germinate.
The new trees tend to
sprout below the favorite resting places of the birds, along fence rows and the edge of woods.
It is known to be host to a number of insect species, including the Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)
and the leaf beetle
Derospidea brevicollis.
, also native to eastern North America. Unlike Zanthoxylum, Aralia has large twice-compound leaves and very large leaf scars, so the trees are easily distinguished.
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
or shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
native to the southeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It grows to 10-17 m tall and has distinctive spined thick, corky lumps 2-3 cm long on the bark
Bark
Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...
. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are glabrous and leathery,
pinnately compound, 20-30 cm long with 7-19 leaflets, each leaflet 4-5 cm long. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are dioecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
, in panicles up to 20 cm long, each flower small, 6-8 mm diameter, with 3-5 white petals. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a two-valved capsule 6 mm diameter with a rough surface, and containing several small black seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s. The tree has also been called Z. macrophyllum. The genus name is sometimes spelled Xanthoxylum.
Along with the related Zanthoxylum americanum
Zanthoxylum americanum
Zanthoxylum americanum, the Common Prickly-ash, Common Pricklyash, Common Prickly Ash or Northern Prickly-ash , is an aromatic shrub or small tree native to central and eastern portions of the United States and Canada...
, it is sometimes called "toothache tree" or "tingle tongue" because of the numbness of the mouth, teeth, and tongue induced by chewing on its leaves or bark (thus relieving toothache).
It was used for such medicinal purposes by both Native Americans and early settlers.
The tree has a rounded crown and requires plentiful water and sunlight. Its leaves are browsed by deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
and its fruit is eaten by birds.
The fruit passes through birds, which helps the seeds to germinate.
The new trees tend to
sprout below the favorite resting places of the birds, along fence rows and the edge of woods.
It is known to be host to a number of insect species, including the Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)
Giant Swallowtail
The Giant Swallowtail is a swallowtail butterfly common in various parts of North America and marginally into South America . In the United States and Canada it is mainly found in the south and east. With a wingspan of about , it is the largest butterfly in Canada and the United States.-Adult:An...
and the leaf beetle
Leaf beetle
Beetles in the family Chrysomelidae are commonly known as leaf beetles. This is a family of over 35,000 species in more than 2,500 genera, one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle families....
Derospidea brevicollis.
Potentially confused species
The name Hercules' club is also applied to Aralia spinosaAralia spinosa
Aralia spinosa, commonly known as Devil's Walkingstick, is a woody species of plants in the genus Aralia, family Araliaceae, native to eastern North America. The various names refer to the viciously sharp, spiny stems, petioles, and even leaf midribs...
, also native to eastern North America. Unlike Zanthoxylum, Aralia has large twice-compound leaves and very large leaf scars, so the trees are easily distinguished.