Flower profile
Hercules' club
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis
Hercules' club is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Texas it's most often seen in bloom in April–May.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Texas
Quick look
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis, the Hercules' club, Hercules-club, pepperwood, or southern prickly ash, is a spiny tree or shrub native to the southeastern United States.
- It belongs to the Rutaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a tree with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 11 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Texas. NatureServe
- In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 7,816 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #76 among the 109 flowers on our Texas list. iNaturalist
Hercules' club gift ideas
Handmade hercules' club gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
-
Placeholder
Hercules' club art print
-
Placeholder
Hercules' club greeting card
-
Placeholder
Hercules' club mug
-
Placeholder
Hercules' club earrings
-
Placeholder
Hercules' club embroidery pattern
-
Placeholder
Hercules' club sticker
When does it bloom?
In Texas, most flowering sightings come in April–May.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G4 Apparently secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Texas
- Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. 31 TAC 69.8
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: NC (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. NC State Extension
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records hercules' club in 11 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia.
Texas counties with USDA records: Anderson, Bastrop, Bexar, Brazos, Burleson, Collin, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Falls, Fayette, Freestone, Goliad, Gonzales, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Madison, Marion, McLennan, Milam, Robertson, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Tarrant, Travis, Walker, Washington, Williamson, Wood.
More Texas flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile ZACL.
- iNaturalist, Zanthoxylum clava-herculis: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Zanthoxylum clava-herculis (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
- Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Zanthoxylum clava-herculis (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
- Photo: margohj via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.