PlantFiles: Colima, Lime Prickly-Ash, Wild Lime, Cat's Claw
Zanthoxylum fagara

Just purchased two of these for purposes of the swallowtail butterfly. It's supposed to be native to East Texas so we'll see how it does. Purchased mine in Rio Grande City, Texas. Update...Since I bought the two I've had to buy 12more. The giant swallowtails have laid more eggs than I can handle over a two month period. I've also got hercules club and mock orange but they are ignored.

This is a great plant for Swallowtails. These trees should be treated for citrus greening to protect the citrus industry. Citrus Greening is worse than canker- it destroys the fruit. I'm concerned because lately I've bought several Rutacae for the butterflies and they were not treated.

I purchased this plant at a native plant retailer in Naples, FL this past January. It was 8' out of the pot. Now it's about 2' tall and growing nicely. This plant is the larva host to the Giant Swallowtail butterfly which was my main reason to acquire it. It currently has two Giant Swallowtail cats on it. This plant has very sharp, small needles everywhere, so it's very dangerous to touch. The plant has nice bright green leaves. So far it's not been bothered by pests. It's growing in bright sun through mid afternoon. So far (through early June) it has not blossomed. It might take another year or so to blossom.

I saw this plant at Butterfy World where it has grown into a small 15' tree. It is a host plant for the Giant Swallowtail butterfly. The Giant Swallowtail also uses citrus trees as host plants.

I purchased this plant from the nursery there and planted it in my garden. This is planted to provide a host for the Swallowtail butterflies. Because of the citrus canker eradication program in Florida, many citrus trees in our area of the state have been destroyed.

This plant is basically care free. Though, care must be taken when working around this plant, it has sharp curved thorns.

I have not grown Zanthoxylum fagara, but see it in the wild fairly often. It is occasional in central and southern peninsular Florida, where it most often occurs in the shrub and small tree layers of subtropical and tropical hardwood hammocks, generally on well-drained to somewhat poorly drained but not swampy soils with a higher pH than is typical for most Florida soils. It is naturally found in the areas of Florida that are climate zones 9a to 11. This is a widespread subtropical to tropical shrub tolerant of seasonal drought that reaches its northern limits in both Texas and Florida.