Zanthoxylum americanum

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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 americanum Mill.
Common Name:Northern Prickly Ash; Toothache Tree; American Prickly Ash
Habitat:**
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Tree
Duration:Perennial
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:ZAAM
Plant Notes: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.
Taxonomic Notes:**
Status:Native, S1 (State Rank), G5 (Global Rank)
References:**

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilyRUTACEAE - Citrus/Rue family
Genus Zanthoxylum
Species Zanthoxylum americanum Mill. - Northern Prickly Ash; Toothache Tree; American Prickly Ash

Citation

Citation Zanthoxylum americanum Miller, Gard. Dict. (ed. 8) Xanthoxylum no. 2. 1768.
Basionym: **
Type: USA: WISCONSIN: Richland Co.: 3 mi. SE of Richland Center, 7 Aug 1993, Nee 43682 (neotype: NY; isoneotype: MO). Neotypified by Reynel, Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 117: 230. 2017.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

SynonymFull CitationBasionymType
Thylax fraxineum Thylax fraxineum (Willdenow) Rafinesque, Med. Fl. 2: 114. 1830.Zanthoxylum fraxineum Willdenow 1796. 
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis var. americanum Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Linnaeus, var. americanum (Miller) Du Roi, Observ. Bot. 57. 1771.Zanthoxylum americanum Miller 1768. 
Zanthoxylum fraxineum Zanthoxylum fraxineum Willdenow, Berlin. Baumz. 413. 1796.  
Zanthoxylum fraxinifolium Zanthoxylum fraxinifolium Marshall, Arbust. Amer. 167. 1785.  
Zanthoxylum mite Zanthoxylum mite Willdenow, Enum. Pl. 1013. 1809.  
Zanthoxylum ramiflorum Zanthoxylum ramiflorum Michaux, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 235. 1803, nom. illegit.Zanthoxylum fraxinifolium 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: Bibb, Lowndes, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

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

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1969 - 1969

Barcode / Accession No. County Coll. Date Collector &
Collection No.		 Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used		 Image
SAMF0003383 Lowndes 01 Jun 2007 Diamond, Alvin R.
17682		 SAMF
Zanthoxylum americanum P. Miller
UNA00063092 Lowndes 03 Jun 2004 Diamond, Alvin R.
14416		 UNA
Zanthoxylum americanum P. Mill.
UWAL0016177 Montgomery 04 May 2014 Diamond, Alvin R.
25045		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum americanum Miller
TROY000042881 Lowndes 27 Aug 2014 Webb, Wayne K.
s.n.		 TROY
Zanthoxylum americanum Miller
UWAL0003987 Lowndes 14 Sep 2008 Keener, Brian R.
4837		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum americanum P. Mill.
UNA00057706 Bibb 13 Jun 1993 Allison, James R.
7727		 UNA
Zanthoxylum americanum P. Mill.
UWAL0008266 Montgomery 01 Jul 2011 Diamond, Alvin R.
22288		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum americanum Miller
UNA00056447 Tuscaloosa 05 Oct 1908 Harper, Roland M.
113		 UNA
Zanthoxylum americanum P. Mill.
TROY000032685 Montgomery 01 Jul 2011 Diamond, Alvin R.
22288		 TROY
Zanthoxylum americanum Miller
AUA_ACC_53571 Bibb 13 Jun 1993 Allison, James R.
7727		 AUA
Zanthoxylum Americanum P. Mill.
TROY000039127 Montgomery 04 May 2014 Diamond, Alvin R.
25045		 TROY
Zanthoxylum americanum Miller
AUA000043507 Tuscaloosa 26 Aug 1927 Wolf, Wolfgang
 AUA
Zanthoxylum Americanum P. Mill.
ALNHS00003312 Lowndes 14 Jul 2015 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#1797		 ALNHS
Zanthoxylum americanum P. Mill
TROY000008819 Lowndes 03 Jun 2004 Diamond, Alvin R.
14416		 TROY
Zanthoxylum americanum Miller
AUA_ACC_63769 Lowndes 3 Jun 2004 Diamond, Alvin R.
14416		 AUA
Zanthoxylum Americanum P. Mill.
UNA00069490 Lowndes 14 Sep 2008 Keener, Brian R.
4837		 UNA
Zanthoxylum americanum P. Mill.
TROY000032435 Montgomery 13 Mar 2011 Diamond, Alvin R.
21776		 TROY
Zanthoxylum americanum Miller
UWAL0010886 Montgomery 26 Apr 2012 Diamond, Alvin R.
22976.1		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum americanum Miller
UWAL0002776 Montgomery 13 Mar 2011 Diamond, Alvin R.
21776		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum americanum Miller
UNA00022874 Tuscaloosa 09 May 1969 Thomas, Joab L.
2053		 UNA
Zanthoxylum americanum P. Mill.
UWAL0030230 Lowndes 27 Aug 2014 Webb, Wayne K.
s.n.		 UWAL
Zanthoxylum americanum Miller
TROY000044337 Montgomery 11 Nov 2016 Diamond, Alvin R.
27718		 TROY
Zanthoxylum americanum Miller
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