Identifying characteristics:
The prickly ash is a distinctive shrub or small tree 4 to 12 feet tall,
often forming thickets by reproducing from root sprouts. Leaves
are alternate, pinnately compound, with 7 to 11 opposite, unstalked leaflets
dotted with tiny, internal glands and minutely, widely-toothed margins.
Leaf stems (rachises) are often prickly and paired spines often occur at
the base of the leaflets. Male and female flowers
appear on separate trees (dioecious) in small, greenish clusters in April
and May before the leaves. Ripening in late July, the
fruit is a red follicle about the size of a small pea. Being
in the citrus family, its taste first reminds one of tart orange rind, but
upon chewing, it quickly numbs the mouth-hence the name "toothache
tree," reflecting the Native American use of this tree. At maturity
a shiny black seed hangs from a slender-stalked, ovoid, wrinkled capsule.
The buds are small, rounded, have distinct scales and are covered
with red, woolly hairs. The bark
is thin, smooth, gray-brown with lighter blotches, becoming furrowed,
often with peculiar, conical, corky growths.
Similar species:
Ecology:
Distribution: Native from southern Quebec to Georgia, and west to
the central plains states, the prickly ash is common throughout Iowa.
Habitat: It is a fast-growing tree, found both on dry, rocky upland
hillsides and on wet, low-lying ground, in clearings, open woods or in thickets.
It is not tolerant of the deep shade of dense, mature forests.
Uses:
Wood: The wood is hard and yellow, but of little use because
of its small size. Prickly ash served as folk cures for toothache and rheumatism.
Xanthoxylin, an aromatic, bitter oil which is concentrated in the bark and
roots, is commercially sought for use in medical preparations. Bark was
once used as a stimulant and home remedy for flatulence and diarrhea.
Wildlife: This tree is generally of little attraction to wildlife, but larvae (orange dogs) of the giant swallow-tail butterfly are often found on the twigs in the South.
