Zanthoxylum rhetsa (Roxb.) DC.

 

 Family: Rutaceae

Synonym: Fagara budrunga Roxb.

Vernacular names :Kothumurikku, Mullilam, Mullilavu (Malayalam)

Habit: Tree

Habitat: Open forests, forest margins

Distribution: Indo-Malesia to Australia

Flowering and fruiting: March-November

Key identification features : Deciduous trees with a brown, prickly bark grow up to 20 m. They have clustered, alternating leaves with 13-23 leaflets, which are oblong. The flowers are small, greenish-yellow, and found in prickly panicles.. The fruit is a purplish aromatic capsule with blue-black seeds.

 Uses: Bark and fruits are used for their digestive and anti-inflammatory properties in traditional medicine.Tender leaves are eaten as vegetable by Aitonias & Mishings