Zanthoxylum flavum

Zanthoxylum flavum is a medium-sized tree in the family Rutaceae. Common names include noyer,^[3] West Indian satinwood, yellow sanders, tembetaria, and yellow sandalwood. It is native to Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the Florida Keys, exclusive of Key West where it has been extirpated.^[2] It is threatened by habitat loss and harvesting for its dense, durable wood used in fine woodworking.^[4]

Zanthoxylum flavum
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Rutaceae
Genus:	Zanthoxylum
Species:	Z. flavum
Binomial name
Zanthoxylum flavum Vahl[2]

Habitat

In its native subtropical range Z. flavum grows in areas with average to high rainfall year-round or with defined dry seasons. It grows on a variety of soils with different drainage regimes, from rapidly draining volcanic derived soils to well-draining clay soils. Archived 2011-10-17 at the Wayback Machine The tree can grow on serpentine soils.

Description

It grows with a straight bole, producing a limited canopy of pinnately compound leaves,^[5] clusters of small pale yellow to cream-coloured flowers and small black seeds. The species epithet flavum is Latin for yellow and indicates its flower colour.^[6][7][8] Pollination is probably from bees, and the seeds are thought to be dispersed by birds and bats, as with the closely related species, Z. martinicense.