Family of shrubs and trees
Zanthoxylum is a genus of about 250 species of deciduous and evergreen trees, shrubs and climbers in the family Rutaceae that are native to warm temperate and subtropical areas worldwide. It is the type genus of the tribe Zanthoxyleae in the subfamily Rutoideae. Several of the species have yellow heartwood, to which their generic name alludes. Several species are cultivated for their use as spices, notably including Sichuan pepper.
Description.
Plants in the genus "Zanthoxylum" are typically dioecious shrubs, trees or woody climbers armed with trichomes. The leaves are arranged alternately and are usually pinnate or trifoliate. The flowers are usually arranged in panicles and usually function as male or female flowers with four sepals and four petals, the sepals remaining attached to the fruit. Male flowers have four stamens opposite the sepals. Female flowers have up to five, more or less free carpels with the styles free or sometimes fused near the tip. The fruit is usually of up to four follicles fused at the base, each containing a single seed almost as large as the follicle.
Taxonomy.
The genus "Zanthoxylum" was first formally described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in the first volume of "Species Plantarum".
The generic name is derived from Ancient Greek words (), meaning 'yellow', and (), meaning 'wood'. It is technically misspelled, as the "z" should be "x", but botanical nomenclature does not allow for spelling corrections. It refers to a yellow dye made from the roots of some species. The first species that Linnaeus described was "Zanthoxylum trifoliatum", now regarded as a synonym of "Eleutherococcus trifoliatus". The once separate genus "Fagara" is now included in "Zanthoxylum".
Fossil record.
28 fossil seeds of the extinct "Zanthoxylum kristinae", from the early Miocene, have been found in the Kristina Mine at Hrádek nad Nisou in North Bohemia, the Czech Republic.
Uses.
Many "Zanthoxylum" species make excellent bonsai and in temperate climates they can be grown quite well indoors. "Zanthoxylum beecheyanum" and "Zanthoxylum piperitum" are two species commonly grown as bonsai.
Culinary use.
Spices are made from a number of species in this genus, including:
Andaliman.
In Indonesia's North Sumatra province, "Zanthoxylum acanthopodium" is harvested for "andaliman". In Indonesian Batak cuisine, "andaliman" is ground and mixed with chilies and seasonings into a green sambal or chili paste. Arsik is a typical Indonesian dish containing "andaliman".
and.
"Zanthoxylum piperitum" is harvested in Japan and Korea to produce () or (), which has numbing properties similar to those of Chinese Sichuan peppercorns.
In Korean cuisine, is often used to accompany fish soups such as , whereas the plant's seeds are separated and used to make oil, and the oil is used as a medicine.
Sancho.
The Korean is made from "Zanthoxylum schinifolium", which is slightly less bitter than . In Korean cuisine, is often used to accompany fish soups such as .
Sichuan pepper.
The fruit of "Zanthoxylum armatum" and "Zanthoxylum bungeanum" species is used to make Sichuan pepper by grinding the husks that surround the berries.
Triphal and teppal.
In the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Goa in Western India, the dried berries of "Zanthoxylum rhetsa" are known as teppal or tirphal in Marathi are added to foods such as legumes and fish. The name in both languages means 'three fruits' or 'three pods'. Because the trees bear fruit during the monsoon season, the berries are associated with the concurrent Krishna Janmashtami festival.
The fresh fruits are parrot green in color and are used as a flavouring agent in many curries made with a paste of coconut, chilis, and other spices. When dried, the flesh of the fruit hardens, turns a brownish black color and opens up to show the black seeds within. The seeds are discarded and the dried fruit is stored in containers for use around the year. Mostly used in fish preparations and a few vegetarian dishes, with coconut masala, this spice has a very strong woody aroma and is discarded at the time of eating the curry.
Chemistry.
Plants in the genus "Zanthoxylum" contain the lignan sesamin.
Species identified in Nigeria contains several types of alkaloids including benzophenanthridines (nitidine, dihydronitidine, oxynitidine, fagaronine, dihydroavicine, chelerythrine, dihydrochelerythrine, methoxychelerythrine, norchelerythrine, oxychelerythrine, decarine and fagaridine), furoquinolines (dictamine, 8-methoxydictamine, skimmianine, 3-dimethylallyl-4-methoxy-2-quinolone), carbazoles (3-methoxycarbazole, glycozoline), aporphines (berberine, tembetarine, magnoflorine, M-methyl-corydine), canthinones (6-canthinone), acridones (1-hydroxy-3-methoxy-10-methylacridon-9-one, 1-hydroxy-10-methylacridon-9-one, zanthozolin), and aromatic and aliphatic amides. Hydroxy-alpha sanshool is a bioactive component of plants from the genus "Zanthoxylum", including the Sichuan pepper.
Ecology.
"Zanthoxylum" species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the engrailed ("Ectropis crepuscularia").
Species list.
The following is a list of species accepted by Plants of the World Online as of August 2020:
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Doubtful species.
The genus "Fagara" has been sunk into "Zanthoxylum", but as of September 2021[ [update]], no name seemed to have been provided for the former "Fagara externa", which was regarded as an unplaced name by Plants of the World Online.
References.
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