Morphological and nutritional assessment of leaf, stem and root of Zanthoxylum macrophylla (Rutaceae)

Zanthoxylum is a genus of flowering plant in the family Rutaceae. The family Rutaceae is of great economic importance in warm temperate and sub-tropical climate for its numerous edible fruits of the citrus family, such as the orange, lemon, calamansi, lime, kumquat, mandarin and grape fruit (Singh and Chadha, 1993). Zanthoxylum comprises about 549 species distributed worldwide mainly in tropical and temperate regions (GBIF, 2010). This genus includes trees and shrubs, usually dioecious. They are economically important because of their alimentary, industrial and medicinal applications (Chase et al., 1999; Seidemann, 2005). The genus is a rich source of various chemicals such as alkaloids, amides, flavonoids, sterols and terpenes etc. There are about 35 species in West Africa including Zanthoxylum macrophylla. Zanthoxylum macrophylla commonly called lime pricklyash, wild lime, and columa is a species of flowering plant that despite its name is not actually in the citrus genus with real limes and other fruits but it is close cousin in the larger citrus family. The trunks, branches, branchlets, leaf stalks and inflorescence axes are covered by prickles or what is described as spines (Waterman, 1986). It is well known for its varied uses in tradomedical practice, the root, root-bark and other parts of the plant are used in treating dental diseases, elephantiasis, sexual impotence, gonorrhoea, malaria, dysmenorrhoea, abdominal pain and bio-pesticide for stored food protection (Udo, 2011). Information is available on the vegetative and floral characteristics of Zanthoxylum macrophylla but the nutritional investigations of all the parts are lacking or rather scanty (Singh and Chadha, 1993). Accordinginly, the problem and focus of the research is to evaluate the forms and features of different plant organs and the nutritional composition of its various parts. Therefore, the present investigation was carried out to study the morphological and nutritional assessment of leaf, stem and root of Zanthoxylum macrophylla (Rutaceae).