Hercules club is an aromatic tree with a rounded crown. Native to the coastal plain of North Carolina, it can be found growing in the light sandy soils of maritime forests, dunes, riverbanks, and island bluffs. All parts have a numbing effect when chewed, hence the common name Toothache Tree. A food source for the larvae of the Swallowtail ( Papilio cresphontes ) butterfly.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal
Mature size
Height: 30 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in. | Width: 12 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Rounded
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf feel
Leathery
Leaf value
Fragrant
Leaf size
> 6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
7-9 narrowly elliptical to lanceolate leaflets with round-pointed teeth & glabrous. Crushed leaves have a pungent odor.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Green; White
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower detail
Dioecious and tiny flowers that appear in early-spring. In North Carolina, the flowers are available from April to May.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Follicle
Fruit detail
Follicles produced in clusters, individual fruits enclosed in a brown husk that splits open at maturity to reveal a shiny red-brown to black seed. In North Carolina, the fruits are available from July to September.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Dark Gray; Light Brown; Light Gray
Bark detail
Large spine-tipped corky-pyramidal projections, losing spines with age, stout green twigs changing from green to brown-green at maturity
Stem detail
Stems are spiny. Twigs and leaf stems have thorns and trunk has large (up to 1") prickles.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
U.S.A.
Distribution
Coastal plains of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico from southern Virginia to mid-Florida west to Texas
Wildlife value
Larval host plant of Giant Swallowtail butterflies (Papilio cresphontes), birds and small mammals enjoy the seeds. Attract butterflies.
Attracts
Butterflies; Small Mammals; Songbirds
Host plant for
Giant Swallowtail butterflies (Papilio cresphontes), birds and small mammals enjoy the seeds
Native Americans and early settlers reportedly chewed the bark and leaves of this tree as a toothache remedy (oils produce a tingling/numbing sensation in the mouth).