Zanthoxylum fagara
{{Short description|Species of tree}}
{{See also|Citrus taxonomy#Wild lime}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Zanthoxylum fagara (homeredwardprice) 001.jpg
|status = LC
|status_system = IUCN3.1
|genus = Zanthoxylum
|species = fagara
|synonyms = Schinus fagara L.{{GRIN | access-date=2009-11-27}}
}}
Zanthoxylum fagara or wild lime, is a species of flowering plant that—despite its name—is not part of the genus Citrus with real limes and other fruit, but is a close cousin in the larger citrus family, Rutaceae. It is more closely related to Sichuan pepper. It is native to southern Florida and Texas in the United States, and to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America as far south as Paraguay. Common names include: lime prickly-ash, wild lime, colima, uña de gato, and corriosa.{{cite web |url=http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/nativeshrubs/zanthoxylumfagar.htm |title=Colima, Lime Prickly Ash, Una de Gato, Corriosa |work=Benny Simpson's Texas Native Shrubs |publisher=Texas A&M University |access-date=2009-12-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215234728/https://aggie-hort.tamu.edu/ornamentals/nativeshrubs/zanthoxylumfagar.htm|archive-date=2023-12-15}}
Description
Zanthoxylum fagara is a spreading shrub or small tree growing to {{convert|7|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall. Its trunk is generally rough with gray bark and grows to about {{convert|0.25|m|ft|abbr=on}} in diameter. The irregularly-shaped branches contain hooked spines with pinnate {{convert|5|cm|in|abbr=on|adj=on}} leaves.{{cite web |url=http://hort.ufl.edu/shrubs/ZANFAGA.PDF |title=Zanthoxylum fagara |work=Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences |publisher=University of Florida |date=October 1999}} The leaves and bark can be crushed to make a bitter-tasting condiment, and much of the tree smells similar to citrus. Lime prickly-ash has a high drought tolerance and grows best in full sun, but it can also survive as an understory shrub. It provides significant food and cover for native wildlife and the leaves host the larvae of many butterflies, such as the giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes).{{cite web |url=http://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Zantfaga |title=Wild-lime, Lime prickly-ash |work=Natives for Your Neighborhood |publisher=Institute for Regional Conservation|access-date=November 24, 2014}}
Uses
The powdered bark and leaves have been used as a spice, with an odor similar to that of limes.{{cite book|last=Little|first=Elbert L.|title=The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region|publisher=Knopf|location=New York|year=1980|isbn=0-394-50760-6|page=538}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{cite web |url=http://esp.cr.usgs.gov/data/atlas/little/zantfaga.pdf |title=Zanthoxylum fagara |work=Digital Representations of Tree Species Range Maps from "Atlas of United States Trees" by Elbert L. Little, Jr. (and other publications) |publisher=United States Geological Survey }}
{{citrus}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q2707743}}
Category:Plants described in 1890
Category:Trees of Northern America
Category:Trees of South America
{{Rutaceae-stub}}