''Zanthoxylum rhoifolium'' is a species of

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

in the family

Rutaceae The Rutaceae is a family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in BoDD – Botanical Derm ...

known by the common names ''mamica de cadela'',Pereira, S. S., et al. (2010)
Antinociceptive effect of ''Zanthoxylum rhoifolium'' Lam. (Rutaceae) in models of acute pain in rodents.
''J Ethnopharmacol'' 129(2):227-31 ''tambataru'',Begossi, A., et al. (1993)
Plant uses in a Brazilian coastal fishing community (Buzios Island).
''J Ethnopharmacol'' 13(2) 233-56. and prickly ash.Duke, J. A.
Duke's Handbook of Medicinal Plants of Latin America.
' CRC Press 2008. It is native to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

.da Silva, S. L., et al. (2007)
Cytotoxic evaluation of essential oil from ''Zanthoxylum rhoifolium'' Lam. leaves.
''Acta Amaz'' 37(2) It is a common tree on the

Cerrado The ''Cerrado'' (, ) is a vast ecoregion of tropical savanna in eastern Brazil, particularly in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Minas Gerais, and the Federal District. The core areas of the Cerrado biome are t ...

.Silva, I. A., et al. (2009)
Fire effects on the population structure of ''Zanthoxylum rhoifolium'' Lam (Rutaceae) in a Brazilian savanna.
''Braz J Biol'' 69(3) 813-18.

Description

This species is a

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

tree reaching up to 12 meters in height. It produces a spherical black capsule about half a centimeter in length and width containing small, hard-coated seeds.

Ecology

The tree is not shade tolerant, so it can be found in open areas in and around forests.

Uses

This is a medicinal plant. The bark is used to treat toothache and earache. It is used as an

anti-inflammatory Anti-inflammatory is the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation or swelling. Anti-inflammatory drugs, also called anti-inflammatories, make up about half of analgesics. These drugs remedy pain by reducing inflammation as o ...

. It is used to treat

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

.Jullian, V., et al. (2006)
Validation of use of a traditional antimalarial remedy from French Guiana, ''Zanthoxylum rhoifolium'' Lam.
''J Ethnopharmacol'' 106 348-52.Bouquet, J., et al. (2012)
Biological activities of nitidine, a potential anti-malarial lead compound.
''Malaria Journal'' 11:67 Parts of the plant also have antibacterial and fungicidalPrieto, J., et al. (2011)
Chemical composition, insecticidal, and antifungal activities of fruit essential oils of three Colombian ''Zanthoxylum'' species.
''Chilean Journal of Agricultural Research'' 71(1) 73-82. action.

Chemical compounds

It contains

nitidine Nitidine is a benzophenanthridine alkaloid found in species of the genus ''Zanthoxylum '', notably in ''Zanthoxylum nitidum ''Zanthoxylum nitidum'', commonly known as shiny-leaf prickly-ash, tez-mui (in Assamese) or liang mian zhen (in China) ...

, an

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

with anti-malarial action. It is of commercial value as a component of herbal remedies for malaria.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q8066286 rhoifolium Flora of the Cerrado Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck Trees of Brazil Trees of Peru