Nepal Pepper Tree (Zanthoxylum alatum)

Zanthoxylum species more commonly known as Pepper trees are widely cultivated as a spice crop across Asia.  Deciduous, medium to large spreading shrubs with sharp spines, yellow/green ‘unshowy’ flowers, followed by bunches of small, red fruits.  Easy to grow and highly productive.

Zanthoxylum alatum originates in Eastern China, Nepal and Tibet growing to 3-5m tall and 4-5m wide. Will fruit with one plant but several planted together will give a more plentiful yield.

Main use: Fruits as a spice.  Z. alatum has a slightly spicier flavour than some other pepper trees. The papery red shell of the fruit is the peppery part although the inner black seed is often also harvested although it is tasteless.  Harvested, dried and placed in a pepper grinder, the spice can stay pungent for 2-3 years.  We find leaving the harvested fruits to dry out results in the papery shell splitting and the black seed being released so it is quite easy to separate the two if required.

In the dormant season (Nov-Feb) these plants will not have leaves and will appear as a spiky stick! Be assured that they are very much alive and will shoot new leaves as the weather warms up.