Genus: Zanthoxylum

I have three small, spiny trees of the genus Zanthoxylum in my garden. Two of the trees were sold to me under the common name Toothache Tree (Zanthoxylum hirsutum) and one was sold as Hercules Club (Zanthoxylum calva-herculis). The common names of these trees are often used interchangeably and my trees look very similar, so it is possible that I assigned the wrong scientific name to one or more of these trees based on the provided common name. Regardless of which trees I may have, they are highly recommended for wildlife habitats.

In the spring, the trees are covered with clusters of greenish yellow flowers. The tallest of my trees reaches almost 6 feet and had more flowers this year than in previous years. I was surprised to find that the flowers have a rather strong scent that reminds me of honeysuckle. Here are a few photos of the many insects that were swarming around the flowers recently.


Common Buckeye Butterfly


Several Red Admiral Butterflies fed on the flowers of the trees


A Hairstreak Butterfly rested on a shiny and thorny leaf


A native bee that I will not attempt to identify


Another native bee that will go unidentified and a ladybug beetle


Honeybee and a fly


And a wasp fed on the nectar of the flowers.

But that's not all...

The trees are host plants for the caterpillars of the Giant Swallowtail Butterfly. The caterpillars are not always easy to see because they are camouflaged to look like bird droppings, as seen in this photo from a couple of years ago. I have not seen any caterpillars yet this year, but I did see a Giant Swallowtail flying around the garden a few days ago.

And there's more...

The flowers produce small fruits that are a favored by birds. I have not had any fruits on my trees yet. Maybe this year will be the first since there were so many flowers.

But that's still not all...
Humans can benefit from trees of the genus Zanthoxylum. If you get a toothache, you can chew on the leaves or bark of the trees and your mouth will become numb. Just watch out for the thorns.

Look for these trees at native plant sales this spring. The North Central Texas Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas has had Toothache Trees at their plant sales for the last couple of years. This was the source of my trees. Their spring plant sale is April 21 at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. Toothache Tree is not on their list of available plants this year, but maybe they will have some anyway.