Zanthoxylum clava-herculis

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Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens only. View county names by placing the mouse cursor over a particular county.

Species Distribution Map
Family:RUTACEAE
Species:Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
Common Name:Southern Prickly Ash; Hercules' Club; Pepper Bark
Habitat:**
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Tree
Duration:Perennial
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:ZACL
Plant Notes:Toothache Tree is a native deciduous tree in the Citrus family (Rutaceae). It is found primarily in the Black Belt region of Central Alabama, and along the coast. Toothache Tree occurs along fence rows, around cave, and on shell mounds. It is almost always found on calcareous soils. Toothache Tree is a small to medium tree reaching heights of 30-40 feet. The bark is thin, smooth, and gray in color. It has numerous corky spine-tipped pyramidal warts. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, and pinnately compound with 7-9 leaflets. The leaflets are elliptic to lanceolate in outline with toothed margins. The rachis of the leaf may be armed with spines. Flowers are produced in terminal racemes. Individual flowers are small and yellow green in color. They have 5 small petals. Toothache Tree is dioecious (having male and female flowers on separate trees). The fruit is a follicle that splits open to reveal a shiny black seed. Chewing small strips of bark or leaves will numb the mouth and has been used as a home remedy for toothache. Extracts of the plant show some promise as an anti-biotic. Toothache Tree leaves are the larval food plant for the Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes). Toothache Tree is sometimes available from nurseries specializing in native or medicinal plants. It prefers a well-draining soil in full sun. Plants should be placed away from walkways or other areas where people might accidently grab the spiny trunk.--A. Diamond
Taxonomic Notes:**
Status:Native, FAC (NWI)
References:**
Specimen: View specimen details in the Alabama Herbarium Consortium Specimen Database

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilyRUTACEAE - Citrus/Rue family
Genus Zanthoxylum
Species Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L. - Southern Prickly Ash; Hercules' Club; Pepper Bark

Citation

Citation Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 270. 1753.
Basionym: **
Type: Type not designated.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

SynonymFull CitationBasionymType
Fagara caroliniana Fagara caroliniana (Lamarck) Engler, in Engler & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 3(4): 117. 1896.Zanthoxylum carolinianum Lamarck 1786. 
Fagara clava-herculis Fagara clava-herculis (Linnaeus) Small, Fl. S.E. U.S. 675, 1333. 1903.Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus 1753. 
Fagara fraxinifolia Fagara fraxinifolia Lamarck, Tabl. Encycl. 1: 334. 1792.Zanthoxylum fraxinifolium Walter 1788, non Marshall 1785. 
Kampmania fraxinifolia Kampmania fraxinifolia (Lamarck) Rafinesque, Med. Repos., ser. 2. 5: 352. 1808.Fagara fraxinifolia Lamarck 1791; Zanthoxylum fraxinifolium Walter 1788, non Marshall 1785. 
Pseudopetalon glandulosum Pseudopetalon glandulosum Rafinesque, Fl. Ludov. 108. 1817. LOUISIANA
Zanthoxylum aromaticum Zanthoxylum aromaticum Willdenow, Sp. Pl. 4: 755. 1806.  
Zanthoxylum carolinianum Zanthoxylum carolinianum Lamarck, Encycl. 2: 39. 1786. SOUTH CAROLINA:
Zanthoxylum fraxinifolium Zanthoxylum fraxinifolium Walter, Fl. Carol. 243. 1788, non Marshall 1785. SOUTH CAROLINA:
Zanthoxylum glandulosum Zanthoxylum glandulosum (Rafinesque) Rafinesque, Med. Fl. 2: 116. 1830.Pseudopetalon glandulosum Rafinesque 1817. 
Zanthoxylum lanceolatum Zanthoxylum lanceolatum Poiret, in Lamarck, Encycl., Suppl. 2: 293. 1811. PUERTO RICO
Zanthoxylum macrophyllum Zanthoxylum macrophyllum Nuttall, N. Amer. Sylv. 3: 10. 1849.  
Zanthoxylum tricarpum Zanthoxylum tricarpum Michaux, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 233. 1803.Zanthoxylum fraxinifolium Walter 1788, non Marshall 1785. 

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Baldwin, Butler, Choctaw, Colbert, Conecuh, Dale, Dallas, Escambia, Greene, Hale, Lawrence, Limestone, Lowndes, Marengo, Mobile, Montgomery, Pickens, Sumter

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AUA, JSU, SAMF, TROY, UNA, USAM, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1876 - 2020

Barcode / Accession No. County Coll. Date Collector &
Collection No.		 Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used		 Image
ALNHS00003756 Marengo 15 Jul 2015 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#1824		 ALNHS
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
USAM000014113 Mobile 07 Aug 1981 LeLong, Michel G.
12225		 USAM
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
JSU140406 Colbert 07 Oct 1972 Landers, Kenneth E.
s.n.		 JSU
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
JSU132870 Baldwin 15 Oct 1982 Whetstone, R. David
12843		 JSU
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
USAM000014119 Mobile 27 Oct 1973 LeLong, Michel G.
7398.1		 USAM
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
UNA00022880 Mobile 06 May 1876 Mohr, Charles
s.n.		 UNA
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
UNA00022883 Baldwin 20 Apr 1879 Mohr, Charles
s.n.		 UNA
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
AUA_ACC_70470 Greene 8 Aug 2009 Keener, Brian R.
5554		 AUA
Zanthoxylum Clava-Herculis L.
ALNHS00000566 Dallas 24 Aug 2010 Barger, T. Wayne
OC-603		 ALNHS
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
UWAL0012083 Dallas 18 Jun 2011 Keener, Brian R.
6518		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
TROY000034428 Hale 01 May 2010 Keener, Brian R.
5931		 TROY
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
UWAL0003985 Sumter 06 Oct 1993 Stanton, Lee E.
B-095		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
JSU132872 Colbert 7 Oct 1972 Landers, Kenneth E.
s.n.		 JSU
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
AUA000040258 Greene 22 May 2013 Barger, T. Wayne
SP1286		 AUA
Zanthoxylum Clava-Herculis L.
UNA00067213 Lowndes 01 Jun 2007 Diamond, Alvin R.
17682		 UNA
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
UWAL0004917 Montgomery 22 May 2011 Diamond, Alvin R.
22154		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
SAMF0003384 Lowndes 20 May 2010 Keener, Brian R.
6008		 SAMF
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
UNA00060082 Mobile _ May _ Mohr, Charles
s.n.		 UNA
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
TROY000034114 Lowndes 20 May 2010 Keener, Brian R.
6008		 TROY
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
UWAL0056198 Lawrence 04 Jun 2020 England, Kevin J.
11060.1		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
UWAL0004974 Butler 10 Jun 2011 Diamond, Alvin R.
22235		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
UWAL0003982 Lowndes 01 Jun 2007 Diamond, Alvin R.
17682		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
UNA00022876 Mobile 08 Apr 1950 Crawford, Lloyd C.
854		 UNA
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
UWAL0003981 Hale 15 Jul 2007 Keener, Brian R.
3763		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
TROY000039691 Montgomery 06 Jul 2014 Diamond, Alvin R.
25286		 TROY
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
USAM000014118 Pickens 02 Aug 1967 Clarke, Ross C.
17203		 USAM
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
UWAL0003979 Greene 08 Aug 2009 Keener, Brian R.
5554		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
UNA00037026 s.d. Denny, Dr. T.
s.n.		 UNA
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
UNA00022887 Greene 09 May 1969 Thomas, Joab L.
2055		 UNA
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
UWAL0043908 Baldwin 11 Nov 2000 West, Chan
650		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
AUA000032658 Escambia 25 Jun 2010 Hansen, Curtis J.
4830		 AUA
Zanthoxylum Clava-Herculis L.
UWAL0003984 Sumter 03 May 1999 Stundon, T.
B-173		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
UNA00022877 Mobile 22 Apr 1950 Crawford, Lloyd C.
957		 UNA
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
UWAL0016413 Montgomery 06 Jul 2014 Diamond, Alvin R.
25286		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
UNA00022881 Baldwin 18 Mar 1950 Stallard, W.A.
21		 UNA
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
UWAL0003980 Hale 01 May 2010 Keener, Brian R.
5931		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
AUA_ACC_72014 Lowndes 19 Jun 2009 Schotz, Alfred
2137		 AUA
Zanthoxylum Clava-Herculis L.
UNA00022888 Sumter 11 Jun 1969 Thomas, Joab L.
2208		 UNA
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
USAM000014114 Baldwin 08 Jul 1967 LeLong, Michel G.
4117		 USAM
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
TROY000034078 Dale 15 Jun 2011 Chesser, Jason
s.n.		 TROY
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
AUA_ACC_52804 Mobile 7 May 1991 Diamond, Alvin R.
7364		 AUA
Zanthoxylum Clava-Herculis L.
JSU132873 Mobile 17 May 1974 Landers, Kenneth E.
RDW-2649		 JSU
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
TROY000032873 Montgomery 22 May 2011 Diamond, Alvin R.
22154		 TROY
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
USAM000014120 Mobile 27 Oct 1973 LeLong, Michel G.
7398.2		 USAM
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
UNA00060496 Mobile 25 Dec 2002 Zebryk, Tad M.
8172		 UNA
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
ALNHS00007687 Mobile 06 APR 2021 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#5464		 ALNHS
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
UWAL0003983 Marengo 02 May 2008 England, J. Kevin
771		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
TROY000023306 Conecuh 19 Jul 2008 Diamond, Alvin R.
19571		 TROY
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
TROY000028354 Butler 20 May 2009 Diamond, Alvin R.
20729		 TROY
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
AUA_ACC_61380 Choctaw 31 Mar 1995 Crouch, Virginia E.
1343		 AUA
Zanthoxylum Clava-Herculis L.
UWAL0002953 Lowndes 20 May 2010 Keener, Brian R.
6008		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
JSU132871 Colbert 7 Oct 1972 Landers, Kenneth E.
s.n.		 JSU
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
AUA_ACC_13877 Dallas 4 Jul 1969 Orr, William P.
 AUA
Zanthoxylum Clava-Herculis L.
TROY000032303 Greene 08 Aug 2009 Keener, Brian R.
5554		 TROY
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
UNA00022890 Mobile 09 May 1964 Deramus, Rebecca
D65		 UNA
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
UWAL0003978 Butler 20 May 2009 Diamond, Alvin R.
20729		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
UNA00067096 Hale 15 Jul 2007 Keener, Brian R.
3763		 UNA
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
TROY000040772 Dallas 18 Jun 2011 Keener, Brian R.
6518		 TROY
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
JSU132869 Baldwin 27 Sep 1985 Shaddix, T.L.
042		 JSU
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
JSU132874 Mobile 3 Jun 1970 Kral, Robert
39633		 JSU
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
ALNHS00006119 Mobile 20 May 2018 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#4034		 ALNHS
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
UWAL0003986 Sumter 06 Oct 1993 Stanton, Lee E.
B-094		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
USAM000014117 Mobile 15 Nov 1977 Daugherty, T.
s.n.		 USAM
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
UNA00069231 Marengo 02 May 2008 England, J. Kevin
771		 UNA
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
UNA00022885 Mobile 10 Apr 1965 Deramus, Rebecca
D387		 UNA
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
AUA_ACC_44955 Conecuh 26 Jul 1986 Diamond, Alvin R.
2652		 AUA
Zanthoxylum Clava-Herculis L.
ALNHS00002539 Greene 22 May 2013 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#1286		 ALNHS
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
AUA_ACC_61828 Choctaw 15 Jul 1995 Crouch, Virginia E.
1445		 AUA
Zanthoxylum Clava-Herculis L.
TROY000032991 Butler 10 Jun 2011 Diamond, Alvin R.
22235		 TROY
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
AUA000043509 Baldwin 3 Aug 1926 Wolf, Wolfgang
2601		 AUA
Zanthoxylum Clava-Herculis L.
JSU132875 Mobile 17 May 1974 Landers, Kenneth E.
s.n.		 JSU
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
TROY000023305 Marengo 02 May 2008 England, J. Kevin
771		 TROY
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
AUA_ACC_60697 Mobile Aug 1963 Davis, Donald E.
 AUA
Zanthoxylum Clava-Herculis L.
AUA_ACC_19235 Marengo 19 Jul 1969 Moore, Harold D.
300-69		 AUA
Zanthoxylum Clava-Herculis L.
UWAL0053979 Limestone 24 Apr 2020 England, J. Kevin
10930		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
TROY000008818 Lowndes 01 Jun 2007 Diamond, Alvin R.
17682		 TROY
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
UWAL0043909 Baldwin 23 Aug 2001 Larsen, Harry S.
926		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L.
TROY000023492 Hale 15 Jul 2007 Keener, Brian R.
3763		 TROY
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus
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