Hercules' Club

(Zanthoxylum clava-herculis)

Rutaceae

This is one of my favorite trees. The character and personality that these trees have is wonderful. I think the lichen feel the same way too. All of the older trees we have met all are totally covered in lichen (as shown in the pictures below). And it isn't just normal lichen, it is all different colors and textures... absolutely beautiful. Another unique thing about these trees are their shapes. It is easy to ID these trees as you drive down the road once you are familiar with the characteristic shape and the angle the branches always take.

There are many medicinal uses for Hercules' Club, but the one that it is most well known for is as a numbing agent for toothaches. It gets several of its common names from this - Toothache Tree and Tickletongue, for example. The plant is in the citrus family and the leaves have a citrus odor when bruised.

Bees love the flowers of this plant. I wonder if their little tongues get numb from the nectar....? ;) The main thing I remember from the flower photo shoot is how odiferous the flowers were (hint: PU).

Behind the Name :

Also commonly known as Toothache Tree, Prickly-Ash (although it is not a true Ash), Southern Prickly Ash, Pepperbark and Tickletongue.

Zanthoxylum -

[meaning]

clava-herculis -

[meaning]