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Szechuan Pepper (Zanthoxylum simulans), potted shrub, organic
$31.00
Family:Citrus (Rutaceae)
Hardy to Zones 5 to 9.
(Hua-jiao, Sichuan Pepper, Szechwan Pepper, Flatspine Prickly Ash, Chinese Prickly Ash) Dioecious shrub to 6 feet tall. Native to E . China and Taiwan. Handsome prickly landscape plant that yields the famous tongue-tingling spice that characterizes Sichuan cuisine. The red portion (pictured) is the part used. This is the seed husk, or pericarp, an appetite stimulant and flavor enhancer that prepares the palate for spicy hot foods. Add the powdered herb at the last minute for best effect! At the spice market in Kunming I observed workers separating husk from seed. They offered me the husks, and were quite surprised that I wished to obtain the seed instead! Years later we have the newly harvested seed available to growers in the US. In TCM, the herb is used to warm the middle burner and is considered an excellent treatment for acute abdominal pain, vomiting, and watery diarrhea. Zanthoxylum promotes blood circulation and is often included in formulas to help move other herbs throughout the body and to the outer extremities. It is an ingredient in the famous “five spice powder.” The shrub does best in moist, rich soil in the sun to part shade. They are dioecious (male and female flowers on separate plants) but female plants are nonetheless self fertile. I know this sounds like an oxymoron but it is relatively common in nature. For hedging, plant 2 feet apart. Otherwise, give at least 10 foot spacing between shrubs. Potted plant, Certified Organically Grown
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Question
Ryan –
Are the plants offered here sexed?
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Richo Cech –
sorry, cannot sex until they flower, and even then there is a tendency towards hermaphroditic. r
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Lynn Lambertsen –
Curious ? can I keep it in a larger container instead of the ground ?
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Richo Cech –
Hello Lynn, yes, that’s how I’ve been doing it. They’ve been worked up 3 times already, a fourth won’t hurt. r
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Steve –
Did you grow these from seed? And if so how did you get them to germinate?
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Richo Cech –
hi steve, We grow our szechuan peppers from seed. i think the directions for seed planting are under the seed page for szechuan pepper–keep clicking. We’re not keeping up with demand on this taxon, however we do have both seeds (you plant them outdoors in the fall and they germinate in the spring) and plants in season. If you click on “waitlist,” you’ll get an e-mail when the new stock comes available. When that happens, order with good speed, the plants usually last 2 or 3 days, the seeds a month or two until sold out. richo
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