Zanthoxylum piperitum

Zanthoxylum piperitum, also known as Japanese pepper or Japanese prickly-ash, is a deciduous aromatic spiny shrub or small tree of the citrus and rue family Rutaceae, native to Japan and Korea.

It is called sanshō (山椒) in Japan and chopi (초피) in Korea. Both the leaves and fruits (peppercorns) are used as aromatics and flavorings in these countries. It is closely related to the Chinese Sichuan pepper, which comes from plants of the same genus.

Names

"Japanese pepper" Z. piperitum is called sanshō (山椒; 'mountain pepper') in Japan, but the corresponding cognate term in Korean, sancho (산초) refers to a different species: Z. schinifolium, known as inuzanshō or 'dog sansho' in Japan.