ZANTHOXYLUM, a genus of the family Rutacea, composed of erect or climbing shrubs or trees, often with prickly branches. The leaves are compound, pinnate, sometimes re duced to three, or rarely; to one, leaflet, usually pellucid-dotted. The flowers are small, in axil lary or terminal panicles, and are from three- to five-parted. The fruits split in two, with one or two shining black seeds. Zanthoxylum is a large genus, found in both the Eastern and Western hemispheres, especially in their warmer parts. The species are so aromatic and pun gent that in the countries where they exist they are popularly called peppers, specially Z. pipers turn, called Japan pepper, which is regarded as an antidote for poison. Z. rketsa, an Indian species, has small yellow flowers and small round berries, which, when unripe, taste like the skin of a fresh orange. Its fruit, and the seeds and bark of Z. Walton, which grows near the base of the Himalayas, and those of Z. budrunga, also Indian, are given as aromatic tonics in fever, diarrhea, dysentery and cholera. They are used as a condiment in India and as a fish-poison. The small branches are employed to make walking-sticks, and the twigs as toothbrushes. The seeds of the latter are as fragrant as lemon peel. Z. and Z. americanum applied externally to the gums or taken internally, are powerful sudorifics and diaphoretics used in toothache, paralysis of the muscles of the mouth and rheumatism. The root of Z. nitidum is sudorific, emmenagogue, etc. The powdered bark of Z. hiemale is given in Brazil in earache; and the capsules and seeds of Z. hastile are employed in northern India to intoxicate fish. The West Indian species of
Zanthosyllitts is called yellow-wood, Z. cari &ram being differentiated as the prickly Iref low-wood. It is a tree, 20 to 50 feet high, whose prickly young stems are made into walk ing-sticks. The wood is used for inlaying and for furniture. Z. cribrosson is the satin-wood of the West Indies, which when first cut has the odor of the veritable satin-wood. Z. fagara is a small tree common in the same region, and tropical America, producing a hard, heavy, red dish-brown wood known as savin or iron-wood or as the wild-lime. Still another species is Z. 'margination, a shrub with coriaceous foli age, exported under the name of rose-wood, but called licca-tree or lignumvorum at home. The commonest species of the northern United States and the hardiest is Z. (merle/main, a shrub or small tree, with odd-pinnate leaves, and twigs which are generally prickly. The cymose flowers are axillary and sessile, without calyx, and they are greenish-white. The cap sules are black and ellipsoidal. It is called prickly-ash or toothache-tree, because both In dians and country people used the hot, acrid bark of both this species and Z. clarakercaks, which when chewed produces a stinging sensa tion, for aching teeth The bark of both these species, and the capsules of the latter, are a powerful stimulant and tonic drug. The south ern prickly ash, Z. clava-hercuhs, the sea-ash, or pepper-wood, has its flowers in large ter minal compound cysnes, and its prickles are supported on corky cushions.