Zanthoxylum clava-herculis aka Hercules' Club

Zanthoxylum clava-herculis, also known as Hercules' club, pepperwood, or southern prickly ash, is a spiny tree or large shrub that is native to the southeastern United States. It can grow up to 10-17 meters tall and is characterized by distinctive spined thick, corky lumps on the bark. The leaves are glabrous, leathery, and pinnately compound, with 7-19 leaflets that are 4-5 cm long. The flowers are dioecious and small, with 3-5 white petals, and are found in panicles up to 20 cm long. The fruit is a two-valved capsule with a rough surface that contains several small black seeds. Zanthoxylum clava-herculis is sometimes called "toothache tree" or "tingle tongue" because chewing on the leaves, bark, or twigs causes a tingling numbness of the mouth, tongue, teeth, and gums. This plant has been used for medicinal purposes by both Native Americans and early settlers to treat toothache. The tree requires plentiful water and sunlight and has a rounded crown. Its leaves are browsed by deer, and its fruit is eaten by birds, which helps the seeds to germinate. Zanthoxylum clava-herculis is also known to be host to a number of insect species, including the Giant Swallowtail and the leaf beetle Derospidea brevicollis. It is a small deciduous tree or large shrub that can be used as a hedging or screening plant, or as a specimen tree that can attract the Giant Swallowtail butterfly to the garden. Despite being a Citrus, this plant is often referred to as the Southern prickly ash because it looks like a prickly version of the Southern Ash tree. Hercules' Club is a super rare houseplant that is easy to grow and needs regular watering to thrive. It does best in long-lasting, direct light and should be less than 1 foot from a window. Hercules' Club likes soil that is well-draining, and repotting each time it doubles in size is recommended. The genus name is sometimes spelled Xanthoxylum.