Zanthoxylum simulans

A temperate, diecious shrub native to eastern China and Taiwan. They are known for extensive medicinal uses and the Szechuan peppers common in Chinese and Indian cuisine. Plants are upright and vase-shaped with dark green glossy, pinnately compound leaves that are strongly aromatic when bruised. Summer flowers are small and green, may lead to red fruits. Ours are unsexed seedlings.

Sichuan Pepper, also known as Prickly-ash, is a large shrub or small tree native to eastern China and Taiwan. Renowned for its use as a spice in Chine cuisine, Sichuan Pepper has a unique aroma and flavor and a heat unlike chili peppers or the piquancy of black pepper. A necessary ingredient in hot pot dishes, this spice adds flavors of citrus, black pepper, and an almost salty savor. This small statured tree is deciduous with intimidating, yet highly ornamental thorns adorning the branches, looking quite like a rose bush in the winter when it is devoid of leaves. The leaves are pinnate, lofty and also edible, adding a light peppery flavor to a salad or as a garnish on an entrée. The fruits hold well on the tree and are ripe and good to use from mid-summer through early fall. A quick point of clarification: there are several species of Zanthoxylum that all make a similar fruit that can be used as a spice and some of them have male and female plants. Our offering is Z. simulans which is completely self-pollinating and only a single plant is needed for surprisingly high yields. We do not currently have live plants available, but we do have seed. Each packet will contain approximately 20 seeds. These seeds are fresh from August of 2019. Cold hardy to USDA zone 5a and above, or to -20 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Japanese pepper is a deciduous aromatic spiny tree with small, yellow greenish flowers and burgundy fruits.