Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

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Zanthoxylum fagara (L.) Sarg.

uña de gato, colima, correosa, cat's claw, lime prickly ash, wild lime

A twisting tree with spines shaped like cat´s claws. The new growth is a much lighter green than the older leaves. The round shiny black fruit the size of peppercorns are presented in attractive hanging groups.

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Plantae

Phylum
Magnoliophyta

Class
Magnoliopsida (= Dicotyledoneae)

Order
Sapindales

Family
Rutaceae

Genus
Zanthoxylum

Species
fagara

Taxon category: Accepted

Syn.: Fagara lentiscifolia Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd., F. pterota L., Zanthoxylum lentiscifolium (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) Andersson, Z. pterota (L.) Kunth fide Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew & Missouri Botanical Garden (2010). In Hooker (1847) as Xanthoxylum pterota.

Origin: Native

Distribution

Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.

References

  • Andersson, N.J. (1855) Om Galápagos Öarnes Vegetation. Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps Akademien Handl., Stockholm: 61-256.
  • Atkinson, I. A. E. (1987) Algunas consideraciones sobre la cartografía y clasificación de la vegetación en las Islas Galápagos. Memorias. Taller de Investigación Botánica y Manejo en Galápagos. Pg. 114- 131.
  • Atkinson, R. Guézou, A. & Jaramillo, P. (2009) Siémbrame en tu jardín - Plantas nativas para jardines en Galápagos. Fundación Charles Darwin, Puerto Ayora, Galápagos, Ecuador, 151 pp.
  • Blair, C. Newton, A. (1985) Epiphytic Colonies in the highlands of Santa Cruz Annual Report 1986-1687. Charles Darwin Research Station. Pg. 34,35.
  • Blake, S. Wikelski, M., Cabrera, F., Guézou, A., Silva, M., Sadeghayobi, E., Yackulik, C. & Jaramillo, P. (2011) Gardeners of Galapagos? Seed dispersal by giant tortoises. Journal of Biogeography (submission): 1-41.
  • Cayot, L. J. (1987) Ecology of Giant Tortoise (Geochelone elephantopus)in the Galápagos Islands. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biology in the Graduate School of Syracuse University.
  • Christophersen, E. (1932) A Collection of Plants from the Galápagos Islands. Nyt Mag. Naturvidenskaberne 70: 67-95.
  • De Vries, T. Tupiza, A. (1987) Las dinámicas de Scalesia cordata (Asteraceae)en diferentes habitats de Sierra Negra, Isla Isabela, Galápagos Memorias. Investigacion Botánica y Manejo en Galápagos. Pg. 154-165
  • Fosberg, F. R. (1987) Vegetación inalterada en Fernandina, 1964 Memorias. Investigación Botánica y Manejo en Galápagos. Pg. 66-74
  • Guerrero, A. Tye, A. (2009) Darwin's Finches as seed predators and dispersers. The Wilson Journal Of Ornithology 121 (4):752-764, 2009
  • Heleno, R. Blake, S., Jaramillo, P., Traveset, A., Vargas, P. & Nogales, M. (2011) Frugivory and seed dispersal in the Galápagos: what is the state of the art? Integrative Zoology 6: 110-128.
  • Hendrix, L.B. Smith, S.D. (1986) Post eruption revegetation of Isla Fernandina, Galapagos II. (NB no recs cited in Lawesson et al. nor in database.) Nat. Geograph. Research 2(1): 6-16.
  • Hooker, J.D. (1847) On the Vegetation of the Galápagos Islands as Compared with that of some other Tropical Islands Of the Continet of America. Trans. Linn. Soc. London 20: 235-262.
  • Hooker, J.D. (1847) An Enumeration of the Plants of the Galapagos Archipelago; with descriptions of those which are new. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 20: 163-233.
  • Itow, S. (1987) Comunidades Herbaceas y Ericaceas en las tierras altas de Santa Cruz Islas Galápagos. Pg. 52 - 65. Memorias: Taller sobre investigación Botánica y manejo en Galápagos.
  • Jaramillo, P. (1998) Distribución Espacial de la Vegetación Vascular y Dispersión de Especies Introducidas dentro del Parque Nacional Galápagos. Tesis de Doctorado en Biología, Universidad Central del Ecuador. Especialización ECOLOGIA DE POBLACIONES.
  • Jaramillo, P. (2000) Plantas amenazadas y medidas de conservación en varias islas del archipiélago. Informe Galápagos, 70-76 (Eds P. Ospina and E. Muñoz.). Quito-Ecuador: Fundación Natura y el Fondo Mundial para la Naturaleza (WWF).
  • Jørgensen, P.M. León-Yánez, S. (eds.) (1999) Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Ecuador. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 75. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, 1181 pp.
  • Jørgensen, P.M. Nee, M. & Beck, S. G. (2010) Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de Bolivia. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard.
  • McMullen, C.K. (1999) Flowering plants of the Galapagos. Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London, 370 pp.
  • Nowak, J.B. Lawesson, J., Adsersen, H., de Vries, T. (1987) Dos años de estudio de la dinámica de la vegetación posterior al incendio en el sur de Isabela, Islas Galápagos, Ecuador. Memorias. Taller sobre Investigación Botánica y Manejo en Galápagos. Pg. 139-153.
  • Quintana, C. Girardello, M., Barfod, A. & Balslev, H. (2016) Diversity patterns, environmental drivers and changes in vegetation composition in dry inter-Andean valleys. Journal of Plant Ecology: 1–15
  • Restrepo, A. Bush, M., Correa-Metrio, A., Conroy, J., Gardener, M. R., Jaramillo, P., Steinitz-Kannan, M., Overpeck, J. & Colinvaux, P. (2011) Impacts of climate variability and human colonization on the vegetation of the Galápagos Islands. Ecology: 1-42.
  • Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Missouri Botanical Garden (eds.) (2013) The Plant List, Version 1.1. Published on the Internet; http://www.theplantlist.org/ (accessed 1st January).
  • Schofield, E.K. (1984) Plants of the Galapagos Islands. Field Guide and Travel Journal. Universe Books, New York, 159 pp.
  • Schofield, E.K. (1971) Field Guide to Some Common Galápagos Plants. Lindblad Travel, Inc., NY: 1-42.
  • Stewart, A. (1911) A botanical survey of the Galápagos Islands. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 4th Series, 1: 7-288.
  • Tropicos.org. (2017) Database of Missouri Botanical Garden. Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. 06 Oct 2017 <http://www.tropicos.org
  • Wiggins, I.L. Porter, D.M. (1971) Flora of the Galapagos Islands Standford University Press, Stanford.

You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.

This page should be cited as follows:

"Galapagos Species Database, Zanthoxylum fagara", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=734. Accessed 31 October 2026.