Zanthoxylum molle

A deciduous tree with a height of 10 meters; the bark is brown and black, the tender branches are dark purplish red, the stems have sharp spikes, the inflorescence rachis and the tops of the branches are scattered with many short straight thorns, and the pith of the tender branches is large and hollow. The leaf shafts are round and often short-haired. The leaves have 13-19 small leaves, usually 5-11 that are born on the top branchlets; the small leaves are opposite, almost sessile, thick paper, broad oval or elliptical, sparsely round, 8-15 cm long, 4-9 cm wide, sharply pointed at the top, round or slightly heart-shaped at the base, symmetrical on both sides, sparsely slanted on one side, whole or with finely cracked teeth, midrib sunken in the leaf surface, 11-17 side veins on each side ,

The back of the leaf is densely covered with white-gray or yellow-gray felt-like hairs, and the oil spots are not obvious or sparse, which can be seen under the enlarged lens. The inflorescence is terminal and multi-flowered; the total pedicel often has sharp spines; the pedicel is light purple-red, densely short-haired; 5 sepals and petals are each; petals are white, 2-3 mm long; the pistil of the male flower is about as long as the petals, Top 3 lobed; female flowers have extremely short staminodes; 3 carpels. The stalk and lobular petals are light purple-red, light yellowish gray to gray-brown after drying, without awn tip at the top, 4-5 mm in diameter, with many oil spots, and dented after drying; the seed diameter is 3.5-4 mm. Flowering period from June to August, fruiting period from October to November.

It is found in dry forests or bushes in hilly areas 100-700 meters above sea level. The inner cortex of the bark is light brown-yellow; the wood is light yellow-white. The bark is used as "sea tong bark" (see Chinese Zanthoxylum bungeanum). The leaf contains 0.1% volatile oil; the fruit contains 0.45%.[2][3][7]