northern prickly ash

(Zanthoxylum americanum)

Conservation Status
northern prickly ash
 
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

N5? - Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
Wetland Indicator Status
     
  Great Plains

UPL - Obligate upland

     
  Midwest

FACU - Facultative upland

     
  Northcentral & Northeast

FACU - Facultative upland

     
           
 
Description
 
 

Northern prickly ash is a fast-growing, short-lived, deciduous shrub or very small tree rising on a single trunk. In Minnesota mature plants are usually 4 to 15 tall and up to 6 in diameter at breast height, though large individuals can reach over 25 in height. They sometimes form impenetrable thickets.

The branches are stout and weakly ascending to spreading. There is a pair of stout, sharp, about long spines at each node. Lower branches tend to persist, even in dense shade.

The bark is rough to the touch, gray to brown with darker lines (lenticels), and often with light splotches.

First-year twigs are zigzagged, brown to reddish-brown and sparsely hairy or almost hairless. The leaf scars are have 3 bundle scars. Lateral buds are reddish, to ¼ long, and clearly visible. They are covered with red, woolly hairs. When broken, twigs emit a spicy citrus odor.

The leaves are deciduous, alternate, 2¾ to 7 long, and pinnately divided into 5 to 11 leaflets. They are on ¾ to 19 16 long hairy leaf stalks.

The leaflets are oblong to elliptical or egg-shaped, 19 16 to 2¾ long, and ¾ to 1 wide. They are on very short leaf stalks, appearing almost stalkless. They are tapered or rounded at the base and taper to a sharp point at the tip. The upper surface is dark green, slightly wrinkled, and sparsely hairy to almost hairless. The lower surface is pale green and hairy. The margins have very small, shallow, rounded teeth and a small yellow gland between the teeth. The leaflets emit a strong, lemon-like odor when crushed. In autumn the leaves turn yellow.

Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants. They appear before the leaves in late April to late May in small clusters of 2 to 12 in the leaf axils on previous year’s twigs. They are small and yellowish-green. They have no sepals and 5 minute, greenish and reddish petals. Male flowers have 5 yellow stamens. Female flowers have 3 to 5 green styles.

The fruit is a bright red, roughly spherical, 3 16 to ¼ in diameter capsule with a pitted surface. It has a strong lemon or orange fragrance. When it ripens in late July to mid-September it splits across the top exposing 1 or 2 shiny black seeds. The seeds are dispersed by animals and gravity.

 
     
 

Height

 
 

4 to 25

 
     
 

Flower Color

 
 

Yellowish-green

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
 

Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is a tree but, when a sapling, can be mistaken for northern prickly ash. Black locust lateral buds are not obvious and are hidden beneath, not above, the leaf scars. The leaves have more leaflets, 7 to 19. The leaflets are blunt to rounded, not pointed, at the tip, and are on short but obvious stalks. The twigs, leaves, and fruit do not emit a citrus odor when crushed.

 
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Moist. Floodplains, slopes, abandoned fields, forest edges, woodland openings, thickets. Moderately shade tolerant.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

Late April to late May

 
     
 

Pests and Diseases

 
 

Leaf Spot (Cerospora xanthoxyli)

Powdery Mildew (Phyllactinia guttata)

Rust of Prickly Ash (Puccinia andropogonis var. xanthoxyli)

Stem Canker (Diplodia natalensis)

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 24, 28, 29, 30.

 
  5/22/2023      
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants) / Angiospermae (flowering plants)  
  Class Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)  
  Superorder Rosanae  
 

Order

Sapindales (soapberries, cashews, mahoganies, and allies)  
 

Family

Rutaceae (citrus)  
  Subfamily Rutoideae  
  Tribe Zanthoxyleae  
 

Genus

Zanthoxylum (prickly-ashes)  
       
 

The genus Zanthoxylum should be spelled with an “X” instead of a “Z”. However, it was originally described spelled with a “Z”. Conventions of botanical nomenclature do not allow for spelling corrections.

 
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

 

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Zanthoxylum americana

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

common prickly ash

common prickly-ash

common pricklyash

northern prickly ash

northern prickly-ash

prickly ash

prickly-ash

toothache tree

toothache-tree

toothachetree

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Lenticel

A corky, round or stripe-like, usually raised, pore-like opening in bark that allows for gas exchange.

 

Node

The small swelling of the stem from which one or more leaves, branches, or buds originate.

 

Pinnate

On a compound leaf, having the leaflets arranged on opposite sides of a common stalk. On a bryophyte, having branches evenly arranged on opposite sides of a stem.

 
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

Share your photo of this plant.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption.
 
 

Luciearl

 
 

I haven't seen such abundant fruit on this shrub until this year. I also noticed a bird I didn't recognize eating the berries. Possibly a vireo, soft gray.

  northern prickly ash  
         
    northern prickly ash   northern prickly ash  
           
    northern prickly ash      
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Plant

 
    northern prickly ash   northern prickly ash  
           
    northern prickly ash      
           
 

Leaves

 
    northern prickly ash   northern prickly ash  
           
 

Leaf

 
    northern prickly ash      
           
 

Stem

 
    northern prickly ash   northern prickly ash  
           
 

Twig

 
    northern prickly ash      
           
 

Infructescence

 
    northern prickly ash      
           
 

Fruit

 
    northern prickly ash   northern prickly ash  
           
    northern prickly ash   northern prickly ash  

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
 
     
     

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

Share your video of this plant.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link.
 
 

 

 
     
     
       
       
 
Other Videos
 
  Northern Prickly Ash
Paul Ashe
 
   
 
About

Published on Aug 16, 2014

A basic description of Northern Prickly Ash, showing leaf shape and key identifying traits.

   

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this plant.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.
 
  Luciearl
8/21/2023

Location: Lake Shore

I haven't seen such abundant fruit on this shrub until this year. I also noticed a bird I didn't recognize eating the berries. Possibly a vireo, soft gray.

northern prickly ash

 
  Brittni
9/7/2015

Location: Forada, MN

   
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

Avon Hills Forest SNA, North Unit

Baker Park Reserve

Bertram Chain of Lakes Regional Park

Big Stone Lake State Park

Big Woods Heritage Forest WMA

Blaine Wetland Sanctuary

Blue Devil Valley SNA

Boot Lake SNA

Brownsville Bluff SNA

Buffalo River State Park

Bur Oak WMA

Camden State Park

Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center

Carver Highlands WMA, South Unit

Cedar Mountain SNA

Cedar Rock SNA

Chamberlain Woods SNA

Charles A. Lindbergh State Park

Chimney Rock SNA

Clear Lake SNA

Cleary Lake Regional Park

Clifton E. French Regional Park

Crosby Farm Regional Park

Crow Wing State Park

Crow-Hassan Park Reserve

Crystal Spring SNA

Edward Velishek Memorial WMA

Elm Creek Park Reserve

Falls Creek SNA

Flandrau State Park

Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park

Fort Ridgely State Park

Franconia Bluffs SNA

Frontenac State Park

Glacial Lakes Preserve

Glacial Lakes State Park

Glendalough State Park

Gneiss Outcrops SNA

Great River Bluffs State Park

Greenleaf Lake SRA

Greenwater Lake SNA

Hampton Woods WMA

Hardscrabble Woods / MG Tusler Sanctuary

Hastings Sand Coulee SNA

Hastings SNA

Helen Allison Savanna SNA

Hyland Lake Park Reserve

John A. Latsch State Park

John Murtaugh Memorial WMA

John Peter Hoffman Spring Brook Valley WMA

Kasota Prairie

Kasota Prairie SNA

Kilen Woods State Park

King’s and Queen’s Bluff SNA

Laible Woods

Lake Byllesby Regional Park

Lake Carlos State Park

Lake Louise State Park

Lake Maria State Park

Lake Rebecca Park Reserve

Lebanon Hills Regional Park

Leif Mountain

Lost Valley Prairie SNA

Maplewood State Park

Mary Schmidt Crawford Woods SNA

Minneopa State Park

Minnesota Valley NWR, Wilkie Unit

Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area, Lawrence Unit

Mississippi River County Park

Monson Lake State Park

Mound Prairie SNA

Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve

Myre-Big Island State Park

Nerstrand Big Woods State Park

Ney Nature Center

Oronoco Prairie SNA

Oxbow Park & Zollman Zoo

Phelps Lake WMA

Pin Oak Prairie SNA

Pine Bend Bluffs SNA

Prairie Bush Clover SNA

Prairie Creek WMA, Koester Prairie Unit

Prairie Creek Woods SNA

Quarry Park SNA

Rice Lake Savanna SNA

Rice Lake State Park

Ritter Farm Park

River Terrace Prairie SNA

River Warren Outcrops SNA

Robert Ney Memorial Park Reserve

Rockville County Park

Rushford Sand Barrens SNA

St. Croix Savanna SNA

St. Croix State Park

Sakatah Lake State Park

Sandpiper Prairie SNA

Savage Fen SNA

Seminary Fen SNA

Seven Mile Creek County Park

Seven Sisters Prairie

Seven Springs WMA

Sibley State Park

Split Rock Creek State Park

Spring Creek Prairie SNA

Spring Lake Park Reserve

Spring Lake Regional Park

Sunfish Lake Park

Swedes Forest SNA

Tamarack Nature Center

Townsend Woods SNA

Twin Lakes SNA

Uncas Dunes SNA

Upper Sioux Agency State Park

Vermillion Highlands Research Recreation and WMA

Vermillion River WMA

Whitetail Woods Regional Park

Whitewater State Park

Whitney Island SNA

Wild River State Park

William O’Brien State Park

Wood-Rill SNA

Zumbro Falls Woods SNA

 

 

 

Binoculars

 

Created:

Last Updated:

© MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved.

About Us

Privacy Policy

Contact Us