Southern Toothache Tree Zanthoxylum clava-herculis
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- zan-THOK-sil-um KLAV-uh HER-kew-lis
- Description
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'Hercules Club' is an aromatic tree with a rounded crown. Native to the coastal plain of North Carolina, it can be found growing in the light sandy soils of maritime forests, dunes, riverbanks, and island bluffs.
All parts have a numbing effect when chewed, hence the common name 'Toothache Tree'.
A food source for the larvae of the Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) butterfly.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Zanthoxylum
- Species:
- clava-herculis
- Family:
- Rutaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Native Americans and early settlers reportedly chewed the bark and leaves of this tree as a toothache remedy (oils produce a tingling/numbing sensation in the mouth).
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- U.S.A.
- Distribution:
- Coastal plains of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico from southern Virginia to mid-Florida west to Texas
- Wildlife Value:
- Larval host plant of Giant Swallowtail butterflies (Papilio cresphontes), birds and small mammals enjoy the seeds. Attract butterflies.
- Play Value:
- Attracts Pollinators
- Wildlife Food Source
- Wildlife Larval Host
- Dimensions:
- Height: 30 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 12 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Perennial
- Shrub
- Tree
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Rounded
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Appendage:
- Prickles
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- NC Region:
- Coastal
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Red/Burgundy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Follicle
- Fruit Description:
- Follicles produced in clusters, individual fruits enclosed in a brown husk that splits open at maturity to reveal a shiny red-brown to black seed. In North Carolina, the fruits are available from July to September.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- White
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Description:
- Dioecious and tiny flowers that appear in early-spring. In North Carolina, the flowers are available from April to May.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Leathery
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- 7-9 narrowly elliptical to lanceolate leaflets with round-pointed teeth & glabrous. Crushed leaves have a pungent odor.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Dark Gray
- Light Brown
- Light Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Smooth
- Bark Description:
- Large spine-tipped corky-pyramidal projections, losing spines with age, stout green twigs changing from green to brown-green at maturity
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- Stems are spiny. Twigs and leaf stems have thorns and trunk has large (up to 1") prickles.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Coastal
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Hedge
- Screen/Privacy
- Security
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Dry Soil
- Heat
