Szechuan pepper is an upright, vase-shaped, deciduous shrub with a wide, flat-topped crown of glossy, dark green, pinnately-compound leaves. The bark of this plant is relatively smooth except for the broad prickles on its trunk. Small green flowers open in mid-summer. Even in the absence of males, the female flowers mature into dark red fruits that are dried and used as a mouth-numbing spice. Szechuan pepper thrives when used as a specimen plant or when planted as a group.
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.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | 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
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
12-24 feet
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 26 ft. 0 in. - 49 ft. 0 in. | Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 22 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Canopy layer
1 - Canopy (>40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Erect; Rounded; Spreading; Vase
Texture
Coarse
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Ovate
Leaf margin
Crenate; Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy; Leathery
Leaf value
Fragrant
Leaf size
3-6 inches long
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Fragrant when crushed, 3- to 5-inch, compound leaves with 7 to 11 leaflets. They resemble ash leaves.
Fall color
Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Green; White
Flower form
Insignificant
Flower shape
Radial; Saucer
Flower detail
Small green flowers open mid-summer. Plants are dioecious, but female plants are apomictic, meaning they will produce fruits and seeds even without pollination or in the absence of males.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Follicle
Fruit value
Edible; Fragrant
Fruit detail
Fragrant, dark red, lobed fruits split to reveal black seeds. The fruit segments can be dried and used as a pepper-like spice.
Bark color
Dark Gray; Light Brown; Orange
Bark detail
The bark of this plant is relatively smooth except for the broad prickles on its branches and trunk. It is aromatic like the leaves and fruits.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Asia, Australia, China, Japan, Taiwan
Play value
Edible fruit; Shade
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Follicle
Edibility
Fruits are roasted dried and used in a pepper-like spice that is used in the Chinese "five spice" mixture
Uses (ethnobotany)
Szechuan pepper is a popular spice in Chinese cuisine.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Naturalized Area; Woodland
Design feature
Border; Screen/Privacy; Security; Small groups; Specimen