Zanthoxylum nitidum (Shiny-leaf prickly-ash) 花椒属 hua ciao shu, is a species of flowering plant in the Citrus family and is found in South China, Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. It is prickly in foliage and also aromatic and the flowers have yellow-green petals and the fruit are red-brown. For more information visit Flora of China and there are some very detailed PDF’s on the whole range of the Zanthoxylum genus.
The corky winged back on the mature clump specimen reminded me of the winged like growths found on Spindle and Elm in the UK and this makes a very attractive feature on the bonsai trees. There were only a few examples of this particular species as bonsai at the Bonsai Clubs International (BCI) Convention exhibition held in Guangzhou, China but great to see the use of local and native species to China in their bonsai.
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