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Zanthoxylum simulans Hance

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Sponsor

Kindly sponsored by
Fonden for Træer og Miljø, The Danish Foundation for Trees and Environment

Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Zanthoxylum simulans' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/zanthoxylum/zanthoxylum-simulans/). Accessed 2026-05-15.

Family

  • Rutaceae

Genus

Synonyms

  • Z. bungei Planch. nom. nud.

Glossary

axillary
Situated in an axil.
glabrous
Lacking hairs smooth. glabrescent Becoming hairless.
inflorescence
Flower-bearing part of a plant; arrangement of flowers on the floral axis.
midrib
midveinCentral and principal vein in a leaf.
ovate
Egg-shaped; broadest towards the stem.
panicle
A much-branched inflorescence. paniculate Having the form of a panicle.
imparipinnate
Odd-pinnate; (of a compound leaf) with a central rachis and an uneven number of leaflets due to the presence of a terminal leaflet. (Cf. paripinnate.)

References

There are no active references in this article.

Credits

Article from Bean's Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles

Recommended citation
'Zanthoxylum simulans' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/zanthoxylum/zanthoxylum-simulans/). Accessed 2026-05-15.

Zanthoxylum simulans

Well-armed stems of Zanthoxylum simulans at Arboretum Kalmthout, September 2015. Image John Grimshaw.

A deciduous bush of graceful, spreading habit 10 ft or more high; said sometimes to be a small tree over 20 ft high. Branchlets downy or glabrous, armed with broad, flat spines 1⁄4 to 3⁄4 in. long. Leaves pinnate, 3 to 5, sometimes 9 in. long, aromatic; leaflets seven to eleven, broadly ovate, 1⁄2 to 2 in. long, slightly toothed; there are often a few spiny bristles on the upper surface, also on the midrib below; the main-stalk is armed beneath with short spines, also above, where the leaflets are attached. The inflorescence is a small panicle produced at the end of short, axillary twigs. Fruits reddish, with dark dots.

Native of China; introduced to Kew in 1869. One of the hardiest of the genus.

Zanthoxylum simulans

Zanthoxylum simulans in fruit at Roath Park, Cardiff, UK, on 12th October 2013. Image Owen Johnson.

Zanthoxylum simulans

Zanthoxylum simulans in a Norfolk garden with ripening fruit on 7th September 2014. Image Owen Johnson.

Zanthoxylum simulans

Zanthoxylum simulans is a deciduous shrub of graceful, spreading habit, usually broader than tall and with very good autumn colour. Meise Botanic Garden (19711321), Belgium. 1 November 2010. Image Guillaume Mamdy.

Zanthoxylum simulans

The berries of Zanthoxylum simulans have a rough reddish brown shell that splits open to release the black seeds from within. Meise Botanic Garden (19711321), Belgium. 1 November 2010. Image Guillaume Mamdy.

Zanthoxylum simulans

Branchlets and pink infrutescences of Zanthoxylum simulans after leaf drop. Meise Botanic Garden (19711321), Belgium. 30 November 2013. Image Guillaume Mamdy.

Zanthoxylum simulans

Close up on the beautiful red pinkish fruits panicle of Zanthoxylum simulans. Meise Botanic Garden (19711321), Belgium. 30 November 2013. Image Guillaume Mamdy.

Zanthoxylum simulans

Cross section of a the trunk of a Zanthoxylum simulans with the short spines clearly visible. Meise Botanic Garden (19733200), Belgium. 27 September 2009. Image Guillaume Mamdy.

Zanthoxylum simulans

A young trunk of the chinese-pepper, Zanthoxylum simulans, armed with broad, flat spines. Nice Botanic Garden (Acc number 8900), south of France. 3 April 2009. Image Guillaume Mamdy.

Zanthoxylum simulans

Another very good specimen of Zanthoxylum simulans, full of fruit and the foliage beginning to turn yellow. Parc de Mariemont, Morlanwelz, Belgium. 20 September 2018. Image Guillaume Mamdy.

Zanthoxylum simulans

The pinnate leaves of Zanthoxylum simulans are very aromatic and fragrant when crushed. Meise Botanic Garden (Acc number 19733200), Belgium. 5 November 2022. Image Guillaume Mamdy.

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