prickly ash (redirected from prickly ashes)

prickly ash

n.

1. Any of numerous cosmopolitan, deciduous or evergreen shrubs or trees of the genus Zanthoxylum, having aromatic bark and alternate, mostly pinnate leaves.

2. See Hercules' club.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	prickly ash - any of a number of trees or shrubs of the genus Zanthoxylum having spiny branches genus Zanthoxylum, Zanthoxylum - deciduous or evergreen trees or shrubs: prickly ash sea ash, toothache tree, Zanthoxylum americanum, Zanthoxylum fraxineum - small deciduous aromatic shrub (or tree) having spiny branches and yellowish flowers; eastern North America Hercules'-club, Hercules'-clubs, Hercules-club, Zanthoxylum clava-herculis - densely spiny ornamental of southeastern United States and West Indies tree - a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
	2.	prickly ash - Australian tree having alternate simple leaves (when young they are pinnate with prickly toothed margins) and slender axillary spikes of white flowers Orites excelsa genus Orites, Orites - small genus of Australian shrubs or trees tree - a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms