Zanthoxylum americanum Mill.

Northern Prickly Ash; Toothache Tree; American Prickly Ash

Tree

Perennial

Vascular

Northern Prickly Ash is a native deciduous shrub or small tree in the Citrus family (Rutaceae). It can be found in central Alabama. Northern Prickly Ash grows on creek banks, on glades, and in prairies in areas with basic soils. Stems are erect, 3-10 feet in height, and armed with prickles. It forms colonies from root suckers. Twigs are dark reddish-brown to gray in color with a pair of prickles at each node. Bark on older stems and the trunk is smooth, gray in color, and armed with small, flattened, slightly downward-curving prickles. Leaves are petiolate, alternate, pinnately compound with 5-11 leaflets. Leaflets are elliptic to lanceolate in outline, gland dotted on the upper surface and pubescent along the veins on the lower surface. The margins are entire or crenate. Northern Prickly Ash is dioecious, with separate male and female flowers usually on separate plants. Fragrant flowers are produced in axillary clusters on the twigs of the previous year’s growth. Flowers are produced before or with the emerging leaves. Individual flowers lack sepals and have 4-5 yellowish-green petals. The fruit is a 2-seeded follicle. The leaves and twigs of Northern Prickly Ash have a citrus odor when crushed. It is the larval food plant for the Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes). A second common name of this species is “toothache tree” because chewing the twigs or fruits numbs toothache pain. Northern Prickly Ash is listed as an S1 species in Alabama (typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals, or some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable in the state), and Globally as a G5 species (demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery).—A. Diamond.

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Native S1 (State Rank) G5 (Global Rank)

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