''Zanthoxylum schinifolium'', also called mastic-leaf prickly ash, is a species of flowering plant in the

Rutaceae The Rutaceae () is a family (biology), family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in Bo ...

, the citrus family. It was first described and published in Abh. Math.-Phys. Cl. Königl. Bayer. Akad. Wiss. vol.4 (Issue 2) on page 137 in 1845 by botanists

Philipp Franz von Siebold Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold (17 February 1796 – 18 October 1866) was a German physician, botanist and traveller. He achieved prominence by his studies of Japanese flora (plants), flora and fauna (animals), fauna and the introduction of ...

and

Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini (10 August 1797 – 18 February 1848) was a German botanist, Professor of Botany at the University of Munich. He worked extensively with Philipp Franz von Siebold, assisting in describing his collections from Japan, and ...

. It is native to central and eastern China, as well as temperate eastern Asia, which includes Japan,

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

Ryukyu Islands The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Geography of Taiwan, Taiwan: the Ryukyu Islands are divided into the Satsunan Islands (Ōsumi Islands, Ōsumi, Tokara Islands, Tokara and A ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. It is a shrub that grows primarily in the temperate biome regions. There are two accepted and known varieties: * ''Zanthoxylum schinifolium'' var. ''okinawense'' * ''Zanthoxylum schinifolium'' var. ''schinifolium'' Its peppercorns are the source of the spice

Sancho (spice) ''Sancho'' () is a Korean spice is made from '' Zanthoxylum schinifolium'', which is less bitter than '' chopi'' made from ''Zanthoxylum piperitum''. In Korean cuisine Korean cuisine is the set of foods and culinary styles which are as ...

which is used in Korean cuisine. It is called 青花椒 "green flower-pepper / green Sichuan pepper" in China. It is used in traditional medicine and cooking. It is an economically-important crop in Sichuan. Fungal pathogen species '' Pestalotiopsis kenyana'' is known to cause leaf spot disease on ''Zanthoxylum schinifolium'' in Sichuan Province, China.

References

schinifolium Flora of China Flora of Japan Flora of Korea Flora of Taiwan Plants described in 1845 Taxa named by Philipp Franz von Siebold Taxa named by Joseph Gerhard Zuccarini {{Rutaceae-stub