Chinese Pepper Tree, aka Kinome Leaf
zanthoxylum beecheyanum
days to maturity:
plant spacing: 1 plant every 6 feet
sunlight requirements: 6-14 hours
look out for:
harvest notes:
seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter
perennial
This rare tree is a cousin of Prickly Ash, aka Sechuan Peppercorn, so its leaves have a very unique aroma thats a mix of citrus, peppercorns, and pez candy (according to our nursery team!). This makes a good bonsai specimen, which means its relatively slow growing and takes well to pruning and shaping. We didn't come in contact with this tree in Miami for years before learning how to grow it, but we recently ran into a huge bonsai specimen loving its life at Fairchild in the dry desert display, so make sure it gets well drained soil. Besides its unique culinary uses and flavors this plant would work well in a homemade mouthwash, since it has a tingly numbing effect.