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Small Knobwood

Zanthoxylum capense (Thunb.) Harv.

Derivation of specific name

provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
capense: of the Cape
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Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
bibliographic citation
Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Zanthoxylum capense (Thunb.) Harv. Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=132990
author
Mark Hyde
author
Bart Wursten
author
Petra Ballings
original
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Flora of Zimbabwe

Description

provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
Small to medium-sized tree. Bark, greyish, smooth, armed with cone-shaped knobs, tipped with short straight spines. Leaves essentially imparipinnate but terminal leaflet often missing, citrus aromatic when crushed; rhachis grooved on top; leaflets in 4-8 opposite or alternate pairs, ovate to elliptic, up to 4 × 2 cm, basal pair smallest, increasing in size towards the ultimate pair, translucent gland dots present along the crenate-dentate margin. Flowers in short, branched terminal heads, small, greenish-white. Fruit c. 5 mm in diameter, brownish-red, splitting to reveal a shiny black seed.
license
cc-by-nc
copyright
Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
bibliographic citation
Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Zanthoxylum capense (Thunb.) Harv. Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=132990
author
Mark Hyde
author
Bart Wursten
author
Petra Ballings
original
visit source
partner site
Flora of Zimbabwe

Insects whose larvae eat this plant species

provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
Papilio demodocus demodocus (Citrus swallowtail)
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cc-by-nc
copyright
Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
bibliographic citation
Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Zanthoxylum capense (Thunb.) Harv. Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=132990
author
Mark Hyde
author
Bart Wursten
author
Petra Ballings
original
visit source
partner site
Flora of Zimbabwe

Worldwide distribution

provided by Flora of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa.
license
cc-by-nc
copyright
Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten and Petra Ballings
bibliographic citation
Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. and Ballings, P. (2002-2014). Zanthoxylum capense (Thunb.) Harv. Flora of Zimbabwe website. Accessed 28 August 2014 at http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=132990
author
Mark Hyde
author
Bart Wursten
author
Petra Ballings
original
visit source
partner site
Flora of Zimbabwe

Zanthoxylum capense

provided by wikipedia EN

Zanthoxylum capense, the small knobwood, is a species of plant in the family Rutaceae. It occurs in the eastern regions of southern Africa, from the vicinity of Knysna, Western Cape to the Zimbabwean granite shield and coastal Mozambique. It tolerates a range of altitudes, from highveld to coastal elevations, but is most prevalent in dry thickets or on rocky slopes and outcrops.

Their trunks are bare apart from the numerous conical knobs that each terminate in a spine. They bear clusters of compound leaves on the tips of their branches. The leaves and fruit are noticeably citrus-scented. The fruit are round capsules of about 5 mm in diameter, fully covered with glands. When they ripen they split open to release a single black and oil-rich seed.

It is a host plant for the Citrus swallowtail, White-banded swallowtail and Emperor swallowtail butterflies. Similar species are the larger Z. davyi which is more limited to the mist belt regions, and Z. leprieurii that occurs in sand forests of subtropical lowlands.

External references

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wikipedia EN

Zanthoxylum capense: Brief Summary

provided by wikipedia EN

Zanthoxylum capense, the small knobwood, is a species of plant in the family Rutaceae. It occurs in the eastern regions of southern Africa, from the vicinity of Knysna, Western Cape to the Zimbabwean granite shield and coastal Mozambique. It tolerates a range of altitudes, from highveld to coastal elevations, but is most prevalent in dry thickets or on rocky slopes and outcrops.

Their trunks are bare apart from the numerous conical knobs that each terminate in a spine. They bear clusters of compound leaves on the tips of their branches. The leaves and fruit are noticeably citrus-scented. The fruit are round capsules of about 5 mm in diameter, fully covered with glands. When they ripen they split open to release a single black and oil-rich seed.

It is a host plant for the Citrus swallowtail, White-banded swallowtail and Emperor swallowtail butterflies. Similar species are the larger Z. davyi which is more limited to the mist belt regions, and Z. leprieurii that occurs in sand forests of subtropical lowlands.

Ripe fruit Ripe fruit Compound leaf Compound leaf
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Wikipedia authors and editors
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wikipedia EN