Zanthoxylum simulans, the Chinese-pepper, Chinese prickly-ash or flatspine prickly-ash, is a flowering plant in the family Rutaceae, native to southern and central China, Taiwan, and South Korea. It is one of several species of Zanthoxylum from which Sichuan pepper is produced.

It is a spreading shrub or small tree growing to 7 m tall. The leaves are 7–12.5cm long, pinnate, with 7–11 leaflets, the leaflets 3–5cm long and 1.5–2cm broad. There are numerous short (3–6mm) spines on both the stems and the leaf petioles, and large (several cm) knobs on the branches. The flowers are produced in slender cymess, each flower about 4–5mm diameter. The 3–4mm berry has a rough reddish brown shell that splits open to release the black seeds from inside.

Subspecies

Two subspecies are accepted.

• Zanthoxylum simulans subsp. calcareum – Zhejiang

• Zanthoxylum simulans subsp. simulans – central and southern China, South Korea, and Taiwan

Aromatic composition

• 1,8-Cineole, α-Terpineol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool, Myrcene.

Notes and references

• Flora of Taiwan, volume 3 pages 541, 542 and 543

• NC State University fact sheet