Zanthoxylum piperitum seeds grow into the Japanese pepper or sansho — the pre-eminent aromatic spice plant of Japanese cuisine, native to the temperate biome of Japan (mainland Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu — excluding the Ryukyu islands) and southern Korea. One of the most historically important culinary plants in East Asian culture, sansho (山椒) has been used in Japanese cooking for over a thousand years — both the young spring leaves (kinome) as a garnish, and the dried, ground fruit husks (kona-sansho) as a spice. The characteristic flavour combines a fresh, citrusy, pine-like fragrance with the distinctive mild numbing sensation (paraesthesia) on the tongue that is unique to the Zanthoxylum genus. Multiple cultivated lineages exist (Asakura, Arima, Takahara, Budou) selected for specific aromatic profiles. Family Rutaceae.Full sun to partial shade; adaptable to a range of well-drained, moist temperate soils; cold-hardy. Excellent for a culinary herb garden in cool-temperate climates. Young leaves (kinome) and dried fruit husks (kona-sansho) — two distinct Japanese culinary uses Citrusy, numbing (paraesthesia) flavour — unique to Zanthoxylum; used in Japanese cooking 1,000+ years Japan (except Ryukyu) and S. Korea — temperate biome; multiple cultivated lineages Family Rutaceae; related to Z. bungeanum (Sichuan pepper) and Z. simulans (Chinese prickly ash) Full sun to partial shade; cold-hardy; moist temperate soils; excellent culinary herb garden plant Zanthoxylum piperitum is the Japanese sansho — one of the most important and ancient spice plants in Japanese culinary tradition, whose young leaves and numbing, citrusy fruit husks have been indispensable to Japanese cuisine for over a millennium, from delicate tofu dishes to eel (unagi) seasoning. IMPORTANT: Pictures show the adult plant, which is not for sale. The offer is only for seeds.
