AUTHOR=Xiang Li , Liu Yue , Xie Caixiang , Li Xiwen , Yu Yadong , Ye Meng , Chen Shilin 

TITLE=The Chemical and Genetic Characteristics of Szechuan Pepper (Zanthoxylum bungeanum and Z. armatum) Cultivars and Their Suitable Habitat

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2016

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2016.00467

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2016.00467

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Szechuan peppers, famous for their unique sensation and flavor, are widely used as a food additive and traditional herbal medicine. <italic>Zanthoxylum bungeanum</italic> and <italic>Z. armatum</italic> are both commonly recognized as Szechuan peppers, but they have different tastes and effects. The chemical components, genetic characteristics, and suitable habitat of six cultivars were analyzed in this study. The results indicated that <italic>Z. armatum</italic> contained a larger proportion of volatile oil, whereas <italic>Z. bungeanum</italic> produced a more non-volatile ether extraction. The average content of volatile oil and non-volatile ether extract of <italic>Z. armatum</italic> were 11.84 and 11.63%, respectively, and the average content of volatile oil and non-volatile ether extract of <italic>Z. bungeanum</italic> were 6.46 and 14.23%, respectively. Combined with an internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequence characters and chemical PCA results, six cultivars were classified into their own groups, for the two species in particular. The temperature in January and July were the most significant ecological factors influencing the contents of the <italic>Z. armatum</italic> volatile oil. However, annual precipitation, temperature in January and relevant humidity had a significant positive correlation with the content of non-volatile ether extract in <italic>Z. bungeanum</italic>. Thus, the most suitable areas for producing <italic>Z. bungeanum</italic> cultivars ranged from the Hengduan Mountains to the Ta-pa Mountains, and the regions suitable for <italic>Z. armatum</italic> cultivars were found to be in the Sichuan Basin and Dalou-Wu mountains. The predicted suitable habitat could be used as a preliminary test area for Szechuan pepper cultivar production.</p>