Zanthoxylum ovalifolium

Last updated

Thorny yellowwood
Zanthoxylum ovalifolium from Parambikulam 04.jpg
Female flowers
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Genus: Zanthoxylum
Species:
Z. ovalifolium
Binomial name
Zanthoxylum ovalifolium
Synonyms [2]
Male flowers Zanthoxylum ovalifolium Wight at Agumbe (2).jpg
Male flowers
Fruit Zanthoxylum ovalifolium from Parambikulam 21.jpg
Fruit

Zanthoxylum ovalifolium, commonly known as thorny yellowwood, oval-leaf yellow wood or little yellowwood, [3] is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae. It is a shrub or tree usually with trifoliate leaves, white, male and female flowers arranged in panicles in leaf axils or on the ends of branchlets and red, purple or brown follicles.

Contents

Description

Zanthoxylum ovalifolium is a shrub or tree that typically grows to a height of 8 m (26 ft) and often has prickles on its branchlets and thick, conical spines on its older stems. It has trifoliate leaves 75–210 mm (3.0–8.3 in) long, often with simple leaves on the same twig. The leaflets are elliptical to egg-shaped with the lower end towards the base, 60–180 mm (2.4–7.1 in) long, 25–70 mm (0.98–2.76 in) wide and sessile, the end leaflet sometimes on a petiolule up to 5 mm (0.20 in) long. The flowers are arranged in leaf axils, on the ends of branchlets, or both, in panicles up to 120 mm (4.7 in) long, each flower on a pedicel 2.5–3 mm (0.098–0.118 in) long. The four sepals are 0.5–1 mm (0.020–0.039 in) long and the four petals white and about 2.5 mm (0.098 in) long. Male flowers have four stamens 2.5–3 mm (0.098–0.118 in) long with a sterile, narrow oval carpel about 0.5 mm (0.020 in) high. Female flowers have a single carpel 1.5–2 mm (0.059–0.079 in) long, and sometimes rudimentary stamens. Flowering occurs in summer and the fruit is a spherical red, purple or brown follicle 6.5 mm (0.26 in) wide. [3] [4] [5]

Taxonomy

Zanthoxylum ovalifolium was first formally described in 1839 by Robert Wight in his book, Illustrations of Indian Botany, from specimens collected in the "Shevagerry hills in flower, and fruit in August and September". [6] [7]

Distribution and habitat

Thorny yellowwood is a widespread species, found from India, through southeast Asia, Malesia, New Guinea, and Queensland. In Australia it occurs between the Daintree River and Ravenshoe, growing in rainforest at altitudes between 100 and 1,260 m (330 and 4,130 ft). [3] [4]

Uses

Timber

Thorny yellowwood is a timber tree valued for its hard, yellowish-white, close-grained wood. [8]

Medicinal uses

The fruits of this species are reported to have "astringent, stimulative, and digestive properties". [8]

Essential oils

The fruits yield the essential oils myrcene and safrole. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Acradenia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Acradenia is a genus of two species of tree or shrub in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to Australia. These plants have leaves that are trifoliate, arranged in opposite pairs and flowers that have five sepals, five petals and usually ten stamens of unequal lengths.

<i>Melicope micrococca</i> Species of tree

Melicope micrococca, commonly known as hairy-leaved doughwood or white euodia, is a species of shrub or slender tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It has trifoliate leaves and white flowers borne in panicles in leaf axils.

<i>Zanthoxylum brachyacanthum</i> Species of tree

Zanthoxylum brachyacanthum, known as thorny yellow-wood, satinwood, satin tree or scrub mulga, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to north-eastern Australia. It is a rainforest shrub or tree with thick, cone-shaped spines on the trunk and prickles on the branches, pinnate leaves, and male and female flowers arranged in panicles.

<i>Flindersia xanthoxyla</i> Species of flowering plant

Flindersia xanthoxyla, commonly known as yellowwood, long jack or yellowwood ash, is a species of rainforest tree that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has pinnate leaves arranged in opposite pairs with seven to eleven leaflets, panicles of yellow flowers and woody fruit studded with rough points on the surface.

<i>Acradenia frankliniae</i> Species of flowering plant

Acradenia frankliniae , commonly known as whitey wood or whity wood, is a species of shrub or small tree that is endemic to Tasmania. It has glandular-warty branchlets, trifoliate leaves with narrow elliptic to lance-shaped leaflets, and panicles of white flowers in leaf axils and on the ends of branchlets.

<i>Zanthoxylum nitidum</i> Species of flowering plant

Zanthoxylum nitidum, commonly known as shiny-leaf prickly-ash, tez-mui or liang mian zhen, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae. It is a woody climber with prickles on the branchlets, thick, cone-shaped spines on the trunk and older branches, pinnate leaves with five to nine leaflets, and panicles or racemes of white to pale yellow, male or female flowers in leaf axils and on the ends of branchlets.

Melicope contermina is a species of shrub or small tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to Lord Howe Island. It has trifoliate leaves and white flowers borne in leaf axils in panicles of nine to fifteen flowers.

<i>Melicope polybotrya</i> Species of shrub

Melicope polybotrya is a species of shrub or small tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to Lord Howe Island. It has trifoliate leaves and green flowers borne in short panicles in leaf axils.

<i>Melicope bonwickii</i> Species of tree

Melicope bonwickii, commonly known as the yellow evodia or yellow corkwood, is a species of tree in the family Rutaceae and is native to Java and the Philippines, and southward to New Guinea and north-eastern Australia. It has trifoliate leaves and small pink flowers borne in panicles in leaf axils.

<i>Zanthoxylum pinnatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Zanthoxylum pinnatum, commonly known as yellow wood, is a species of flowering plant of the family Rutaceae native to Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands. It is a tree with pinnate leaves, white male and female flowers arranged in groups in leaf axils, and spherical, purple follicles containing a single black seed.

<i>Zanthoxylum rhetsa</i> Species of flowering plant

Zanthoxylum rhetsa, commonly known as Indian prickly ash, is a species of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae and occurs from India east to the Philippines and south to northern Australia. It is a deciduous shrub or tree with cone-shaped spines on the stems, pinnate leaves with between nine and twenty-three leaflets, panicles of white or yellowish, male and female flowers, followed by spherical red, brown or black follicles.

<i>Coatesia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Coatesia is a genus of plant containing the single species Coatesia paniculata, commonly known as axe-breaker or capivi, and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a small, evergreen tree with simple, elliptical to egg-shaped leaves, panicles of white flowers on the ends of branchlets or in leaf axils and fused follicles with one black seed in each follicle.

Melicope affinis is a species of shrub or tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to Queensland. It has trifoliate leaves and small greenish white flowers borne in panicles in leaf axils.

<i>Melicope broadbentiana</i> Species of shrub

Melicope broadbentiana, commonly known as false euodia, is a species of shrub or tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to Queensland. It has simple leaves, trifoliate leaves or both, and small white flowers borne in short panicles in leaf axils.

Melicope fellii is a species of tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to Queensland. It has trifoliate leaves and pink flowers borne in short panicles in leaf axils.

Melicope hayesii, commonly known as small-leaved doughwood, is a species of shrub or slender tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It has trifoliate leaves and small white flowers borne in panicles in leaf axils.

<i>Melicope jonesii</i> Species of tree

Melicope jonesii is a species of tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to north-east Queensland. It has trifoliate leaves and greenish or cream-coloured flowers borne in short panicles in leaf axils.

Melicope peninsularis is a species of small tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to tropical north Queensland. It has trifoliate leaves and white flowers borne in short panicles in leaf axils.

<i>Melicope vitiflora</i> Species of tree

Melicope vitiflora, commonly known as northern evodia, fishpoison wood, leatherjacket or leatherwood, is a species of shrub or small tree in the family Rutaceae and is native to north-eastern Australia and New Guinea. It has trifoliate leaves and green to white or cream-coloured flowers borne in panicles in leaf axils.

<i>Melicope xanthoxyloides</i> Species of tree

Melicope xanthoxyloides is a species of small tree in the family Rutaceae and is native to New Guinea and Queensland. It has trifoliate leaves and small green to yellow or cream-coloured flowers arranged in panicles in leaf axils.

References

  1. Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) & & IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2019). "Zanthoxylum ovalifolium". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T147027589A147027591. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Zanthoxylum ovalifolium". Australian Plant Census. Archived from the original on 11 September 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Zanthoxylum ovalifolium". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  4. 1 2 Hartley, Thomas G. (2013). Annette J.G. Wilson (ed.). Flora of Australia (Volume 26). Canberra: Australian Biological Resources Study. p. 78. Archived from the original on 11 September 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  5. Tutcher, William James (1 July 1905). "Descriptions of some New Species and Notes on other Chinese Plants". Journal of the Linnean Society. 37 (258): 64. Zanthoxylum ovalifolium, Wight? Specimens of, apparently, this species were found on the southern slope of Mt. Parker in April, 1903. They differ from the description of Z. ovalifolium in the rusty-tomentose inflorescence and much thinner (papery) leaves.
  6. "Zanthoxylum ovalifolium". APNI. Archived from the original on 11 September 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  7. Wight, Robert (1839). Illusrations of Indian Botany. Madras: J. B. Pharoah for the author,1840-1850. p. 169. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  8. 1 2 "47829 Zanthoxylum ovalifolium". Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported. 51: 65. 15 March 1922. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  9. "Zanthoxylum ovalifolium". Useful Tropical Plants. Retrieved 12 September 2021.