Zanthoxylum sp.
Common name(s): Sichuan pepper
Description: a low-maintenance, deciduous shrub with thorned branches and glossy green leaves. Produces edible fruit husks in late summer.
Height: to 6 ft. Spread: to 3 ft.
Position: full sun, tolerant of poor, dry soil
Uses: ground peppercorns used in multiple cuisines and are an essential ingredient in Chinese five-spice powder, ornamentally popular for bonsai.
Winter Hardiness: to 5 F and possibly lower
Notes: we received our original plant from Nichols Garden Nursery in Albany, OR; we believe it to be either Z. piperitum or Z. simulans since those are the most available species in the U.S. but are not confident enough to sell it as either. However, "all species ... have their place in local cuisines and can (excepting Z. schinifolium) mostly be used interchangeably. Literature often gives contradicting information which spice is used where; furthermore, Zanthoxylum is a difficult genus with many different, similar and not well-researched species. (1)"
1. Sichuan pepper and others (Zanthoxylum piperitum, simulans, bungeanum, rhetsa, acanthopodium. Gernot Katzer’s Spice Pages. Retrieved 2023.