Prickly Ash Tree

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(Xanthoxylum clava-herculis L. or Xanthoxylum americanum or Xanthoxylum hirsutum)

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Another unusual tree at Bartram’s Garden and one I have never seen before is the Prickly Ash.

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Sometimes called the toothache tree, we were told the leaves have a numbing effect and were used by Native Americans for toothache pain. This thorny, small tree is a member of the citrus family and is sometimes used as a natural fence.

The lumpy bark is quite distinctive. I can see why it is also called “Hercules Club”

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More information through Google books from Mississippi State University Extension here.