FNPS Plant Database

Zanthoxylum fagara

wild-lime, colina, lime pricklyash
  • Photo by: Kari Ruder, Hernando Chapter, FNPS
  • Photo by: Roger Hammer, Dade Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

wild-lime, colina, lime pricklyash

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Zanthoxylum fagara

Family:

Rutaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

Tree

Size:

5–20 ft tall by 3–12 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

yellow, green, NA

Fruit Color:

brown, black

Phenology:

Evergreen. Inconspicuous flowers mostly winter-spring. Fruits ripen in summer-early fall. Moderately long lived (Nelson 2003)

Noted For:

Aroma/Showy Fruitsagrance, Thorns, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Hedge, buffer or screen plant where its thorns will be an asset. Foliage is aromatic. This author has one growing as a specimen plant and loves its shape and the shiny green rather lacey foliage.

Considerations:

Very sharp thorns.

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales

Propagation:

Seed.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■□□□

Usually moist, occasional inundation -to- Very long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Lime Rock

Soil pH:

Suitable to Grow In:

9A,9B,10A,10B,11

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Caterpillars, Birds, Mammals

Larval host for giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) and Schaus' swallowtail (Heraclides aristodemus)in southern Florida.

Provides wildlife cover. Fruit is used by birds and other wildlife.

Native Habitats:

Hammocks. Scrub

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Fruit is edible, but is also a numbing agent. Powdered bark, leaves or fruit can be used as a spice. Wood is used for making furniture.

General Comments:

Fragrant flowers and crushed foliage smells like limes. Dioecious: male and female flowers are on separate plants.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Florida Wildflower Foundation. (2025). Flower Friday: Wild Lime. ( https://flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-zanthoxylum-fagara/ ). Accessed 2026. Florida Wildflower Foundation, Maitland, FL.


Gann, G.D., C.J. Abbott, C.G. Stocking, K.N. Hines, and collaborators. (2001+). Wild Lime [in] Natives For Your Neighborhood. ( https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Abuthuls ). Accessed 2026. The Institute for Regional Conservation. Delray Beach, FL.


Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell. (1999). Native Florida Plants. Gulf Publishing Company. Houston, TX.


Hammer, Roger. (2015). Attracting Hummingbirds and Butterflies in Tropical Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


Huegel, Craig N. (2012). Native Wildflowers and Other Ground Covers for Florida Landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


Minno, Marc, and Maria Minno. (1999). Florida Butterfly Gardening: A Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Butterflies. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


Nelson, Gil. (2003). Florida's Best Landscape Plants: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


Osorio, Rufino. (2001). A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


Traas, Pamela. (2001). Gardening for Florida's Butterflies. Great Outdoors Publishing Co., St. Petersburg, FL.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.

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