This shrub is 4-25' tall, branching abundantly. The bark of trunk and larger branches is gray to brown and fairly smooth, although on old large shrubs it can become shallowly furrowed with a wrinkled appearance. Twigs are brown and glabrous, while young shoots are light green and nearly glabrous to pubescent. Pairs of stout prickles up to 1/3' long are scattered along the branches, twigs and shoots; these spines are somewhat flattened and curved. Alternate compound leaves about 6-12' long develop along the twigs and young shoots; they are odd-pinnate with 5-11 leaflets. Individual leaflets are 1½-3¼' long and ½-1½' across; they are lanceolate-oblong to ovate-oblong with margins that are smooth to crenulate (fine rounded teeth). The upper surface of mature leaflets is medium green, minutely glandular, and glabrous, while the lower surface is pale green and short-pubescent to nearly glabrous; in the latter case, fine hairs are restricted to the major veins. Newly emerged leaflets are more hairy than mature leaflets. The lateral leaflets are sessile or nearly so, while the terminal leaflets have slender petiolules (basal stalklets) that are less than ½' long. The light green petioles (basal stalks) and rachises of the compound leaves are hairy while young, but become more glabrous with age; they have scattered small prickles along their undersides. Prickly Ash is almost always dioecious, producing male (staminate) and female (pistillate) flowers on separate shrubs. These flowers are arranged in small axillary clusters (cymes) along the branches of the preceding year. Individual male flowers are a little less than ¼' across, consisting of 4-5 erect petals and 4-5 stamens; there is no calyx. The petals of male flowers are yellowish green to orange and oblong in shape. Individual female flowers are about ¼' across, consisting of 4-5 erect petals and 2-5 separate pistils; there is no calyx. The petals of female flowers are also yellowish green to orange and oblong in shape. The ovaries of the pistils are glossy green and ovoid in shape; their elongated styles tend to converge at their tips. The blooming period occurs during mid- to late spring before the leaves develop. Afterwards, the female flowers are replaced by berry-like follicles (fruits that open along one-side) about 1/3' long that are ovoid-globoid in shape with a pitted surface. As the follicles mature, they change from green to red to brown, eventually splitting open to expose shiny black seeds with oily surfaces. Each follicle contains 1-2 seeds. Both the crushed foliage and fruits are highly aromatic, somewhat resembling the fragrance of lemon peels. The root system produces underground runners, from which clonal offsets are produced. This shrub often forms clonal colonies of varying size.

General: Rue Family (Rutaceae). It is an aromatic, native, perennial tree or shrub that can grow from 1 to 8 meters tall. The branches are dark brown and armed with 8 to 13 mm-long prickles. When broken, the twigs have a strong odor reminiscent of crushed lemon peel. The leaf buds (1mm long) are red and woolly. The leaves (1 to 30 cm long) are composed of 5 to 11 ovate, pinnately arranged leaflets (4 to 8 cm long). The dark green and lustrous leaves are dotted with translucent glands. The lower portion of the leaf is a lighter pubescent green beneath. The greenish-yellow flowers (3 to 3.5 mm wide) appear in the spring before the leaves. The small fruits are capsules (0.5 to 0.6 cm). Each fruit contains one seed. The fruit ripens in late summer, turning from green to reddish brown. When the seeds mature, they hang exposed from the split capsules.

Distribution: For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

Habitat: This plant occurs along riverbanks and in moist ravines, thickets, and woods. It is also found in somewhat drier areas such as upland rocky hillsides, bluffs, and open woods.

Northern prickly ash, toothache tree; this genus is incorrectly spelled Xanthoxylum in much of the literature.

The native Prickly Ash is occasional in northern and central Illinois, while in the southern section of the state it is rare or absent (see Distribution Map). Habitats include upland woodlands, bottomland woodlands, savannas, wooded ravines, thinly wooded bluffs, edges of shady seeps, stream banks in wooded areas, thickets, pastures, and fence rows. Prickly Ash is found in both disturbed and higher quality natural areas. It probably benefits from occasional wildfires.

Zanthoxylum americanum Mill.:
Canada (North America)
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Canada

Origin: Unknown/Undetermined

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: Zanthoxylum americanum grows from Oklahoma north to North Dakota, east to Southern Canada and New England and south to Florida.

Zanthoxylum americanum is distinguishable from Z. clava-herculis by the latter having bark with triangular, corky knobs. Z. clava-herculis is also a larger shrub, reaching 30 m tall (Foster and Duke 1990).

The native Prickly Ash is occasional in northern and central Illinois, while in the southern section of the state it is rare or absent (see Distribution Map). Habitats include upland woodlands, bottomland woodlands, savannas, wooded ravines, thinly wooded bluffs, edges of shady seeps, stream banks in wooded areas, thickets, pastures, and fence rows. Prickly Ash is found in both disturbed and higher quality natural areas. It probably benefits from occasional wildfires.

Comments: Zanthoxylum americanum is considered an eastern deciduous forest "endemic" and grows in shaded and partially shaded conditions in medium to low elevations (Porter 1976). It has been recorded on mesic bluffs, deciduous forests, mountains, river banks, stream banks, deciduous thickets and woodlands, moist woods and thickets (Porter 1976, Gleason and Cronquist 1991).

Common pricklyash is a very hearty tree or small shrub that does well in poor soils. Although easily grown, the plants are not generally used for landscape purposes as ornamentals. Because of the plants small yet sharp thorns and suckering habit, they can make an efficient barrier planting. The plants do well in partial shade to full sun. Seeds, suckers, and root cuttings may propagate pricklyash. The seeds may be gathered from the plants when the capsules are open. Unopened capsules will open upon drying. The seeds will require scarification to germinate, unless they are sown in the fall immediately after collecting them.

The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract primarily bees and flies (Robertson, 1929). Bee visitors include honeybees, bumblebees, cuckoo bees (Nomada spp.), mason bees (Osmia spp.), Halictid bees (Augochloropsis spp., Lasioglossum spp., etc.), and Andrenid bees (Andrena spp.). Fly visitors consist of Syrphid flies, Tachinid flies, Muscid flies, and others. The caterpillars of the butterfly, Papilio cresphontes (Giant Swallowtail), feed on the foliage of Prickly Ash. This shrub is the preferred host of the leafhopper Empoasca latarca (Dmitriev & Dietrich, 2010). Several polyphagous treehoppers also feed on this shrub

Zanthoxylum americanum (Prickly Ash)
(on staminate flowers, bees usually suck and less often collect pollen, while other insects suck nectar; on pistillate flowers, all insects suck nectar; observations are from Robertson)

On staminate flowers:

Bees (long-tongued)
Apidae (Apinae): Apis mellifera sn cp fq; Anthophoridae (Nomadini): Nomada cuneatus sn fq, Nomada luteola sn fq; Megachilidae (Osmiini): Osmia pumila sn fq

Bees (short-tongued)
Halictidae (Halictinae): Augochlorella striata sn, Lasioglossum coriaceus sn, Lasioglossum cressonii sn, Lasioglossum imitatus sn cp fq, Lasioglossum versatus sn cp fq; Colletidae (Colletinae): Colletes inaequalis sn fq icp; Andrenidae (Andreninae): Andrena cressonii sn fq, Andrena forbesii sn fq, Andrena imitatrix imitatrix sn fq, Andrena miserabilis bipunctata sn fq, Andrena sn rugosa fq, Andrena sayi sn fq

Wasps
Pompilidae: Priocnemis cornicus; Chrysididae: Chrysura pacifica

Flies
Syrphidae: Brachypalpus oarus, Toxomerus geminatus fq; Tachinidae: Gonia capitata fq

Beetles
Oedemeridae: Asclera puncticollis

On pistillate flowers:

Bees (long-tongued)
Apidae (Apinae): Apis mellifera fq; Anthophoridae (Ceratinini): Ceratina calcarata; Anthophoridae (Nomadini): Nomada cressonii, Nomada cuneatus fq, Nomada denticulata, Nomada illinoiensis fq, Nomada luteola fq, Nomada ovatus fq, Nomada sayi fq, Nomada sulphurata; Megachilidae (Osmiini): Osmia lignaria lignaria fq, Osmia pumila fq

Bees (short-tongued)
Halictidae (Halictinae): Augochlorella striata, Augochloropsis metallica metallica, Augochloropsis sumptuosa fq, Halictus ligatus, Halictus rubicunda, Lasioglossum cinctipes, Lasioglossum foxii fq, Lasioglossum imitatus fq, Lasioglossum versatus fq, Lasioglossum zephyrus fq, Paralictus platyparius; Colletidae (Colletinae): Colletes inaequalis fq icp; Andrenidae (Andreninae): Andrena cressonii fq, Andrena forbesii fq, Andrena hippotes, Andrena imitatrix imitatrix fq, Andrena mandibularis, Andrena miserabilis bipunctata fq, Andrena pruni fq, Andrena rugosa fq, Andrena sayi fq

Flies
Syrphidae: Epistrophe emarginata, Eristalis dimidiatus, Eupeodes americanus, Helophilus fasciatus, Orthonevra nitida, Sphaerophoria contiqua, Toxomerus geminatus fq; Conopidae: Myopa vesiculosa; Tachinidae: Archytas analis, Gonia capitata fq, Periscepsia clesides; Sarcophagidae: Ravinia derelicta; Calliphoridae: Phormia regina; Muscidae: Neomyia cornicina fq; Scathophagidae: Scathophaga furcata

Moths
Noctuidae: Anagrapha falcifera

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.


No available public DNA sequences.

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 1
Specimens with Barcodes: 1
Species With Barcodes: 1

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Reasons: Zanthoxylum americanum ranges from Oklahoma to southern Canada, east to New England and south to Florida. This weedy species is relatively common in the western portion of the range, though occasional and rare throughout portions of the eastern range. Z. americanum is currently of limited demand in the commercial trade for medicinal plants, however all material in trade is wild-collected.

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural Resources for this plant’s current status (e.g. threatened or endangered species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

Comments: According to Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association, there is currently "limited demand" for this species, which is considered to be "aggressive" in its growth habits (pers. comm., December 2000). The estimated average annual use in medicinal industry ranges from 2,000-5,000 dry pounds and 100% of that total is collected from wild populations (pers. comm. E. Fletcher, 2000).

Common pricklyash has no serious insect or disease problems.

These plant materials are not readily available from commercial sources. Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone book under ”United States Government.” The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading “Department of Agriculture.”

The preference is full or partial sun and moist to dry-mesic conditions. Different types of soil are tolerated, including those that contain loam, clay-loam, and rocky material. This shrub can adapt to light shade, but it may fail to produce flowers and fruit. It has relatively few problems with pests and disease organisms.

Ethnobotanic: The Alabama, Cherokee, Chippewa, Comanche, Creek, Delaware, Iroquois, Oklahoma, Menominee, Meskwaki, Ojibwa, Pawnee, and Potawatomi were among the Native American tribes that used common pricklyash for many, mostly medicinal purposes. An infusion of the bark was used as a wash to treat itching skin and to treat swollen joints. Infusions of the bark were taken internally for back pain, cramps, pulmonary problems, to treat fevers, and as a cold and cough remedy. Infusions, made from the crushed roots, were also used to treat fevers. A poultice made from the inner bark was used to treated rheumatism and sharp pains. Placing the inner bark in the throat treated sore throats. The bark was boiled into a decoction that was taken to induce miscarriages. The plant was used to treat pain after childbirth. Bark infusions were taken to treat worms in adults. The bark of the roots was used to treat colic, rheumatism, and gonorrhea. An ointment, made my mixing the plant with bear grease, was applied to ulcers and sores. Infusions of the berries were used to spray on the chest and throat to treat bronchial diseases, to wash sores, and to flavor medicines. The bark and the berries were used to treat hemorrhages, to make cough syrup, as an expectorant, and to treat tuberculosis. Children who were weak were washed with a decoction of the bark to make their legs and feet strong. The bark was used in different forms to alleviate toothaches. Smoking the bark treated toothache. Bark, either beaten or powdered was packed in and around an aching tooth. Pieces of the bark were chewed to help breakup a tooth that was to be remove. The plant was an ingredient in compounds that were used for kidney trouble, to strengthen convalescing patients, and to induce vomiting. An infusion of the bark was, at least once, placed on a dog’s nose to improve its scenting capabilities during hunting. The fruits were administered as diuretics to horses. Young men of the Omaha tribe used a perfume made from the fruits. The plant is probably still used today for various purposes by various Native American tribes.

Wildlife: The fruits are eaten by a variety of birds and small mammals including bobwhite quails, vireos, pheasants, cottontails, and eastern chipmunks. Bees are attracted to the flowers. Giant swallowtail butterflies lay their eggs on the plants leaves.