Japanese pepper is a thorny, aromatic shrub whose fruit husks give sanshō, the tingly, citrusy spice sprinkled on grilled eel in Japan. It's native to Japan, southern Korea, and China, and isn't known to grow wild in the United States. It's also called Japanese prickly-ash.
Appearance
- Appearance
- Pairs of flattish thorns about ½ in (1 cm) long sit at each node along the branches.
- Growth form
- A compact deciduous shrub, usually 3–10 ft (1–3 m) tall and occasionally up to about 15 ft (4.5 m). The leaves smell strongly when crushed.
- Leaves
- Feather-like compound leaves 3–6 in (8–15 cm) long, with 11–23 small toothed leaflets.
- Flowers
- Tiny yellow-green flowers in small clusters in spring. Male and female flowers grow on separate plants.
- Fruit
- Small reddish fruits dotted with oil glands ripen in fall and split open to show shiny black seeds.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Mountain woods
- Woodland edges
- Partly shaded thickets
- Range
- Native to East Asia: Japan, the southern Korean Peninsula, and China. It is not native to the US and isn't known to grow wild there.
- Preferred conditions
- In Japan it grows in partly shaded, moist woodland. It dislikes being moved and strong summer sun.
Growing it
- Care
- Gardeners in the US grow it as a compact shrub, and one university plant database rates it hardy to USDA zone 5. Only female plants bear the red fruit.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Its older name is Fagara piperita. Sichuan pepper used in Chinese cooking comes mainly from related species, not this one.
- Varieties and forms
- In Japan there is a thornless cultivar, 'Asakura' sanshō.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- In Japan, the ground husks are a classic spice on grilled eel and one of the ingredients in shichimi seven-spice blend. Young leaves (kinome) garnish dishes, and green berries are simmered in soy sauce.
- The wood is traditionally made into pestles for Japanese grinding bowls.
- In Korea the same spice is called chopi and is used to season fish soups.
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