Zanthoxylum piperitum ‘Kuro-fune’, 4LHailing from Mt Fuji in Japan, this culinary shrub bears purple aromatic, pinnate leaves on spiny stems. It can form a dome shaped tree over time, and is highly decorative, producing panicles of cup shaped yellow green flowers in summer, followed by the reddish fruits which split revealing black, peppery seeds. These are dried and ground into a spice, used in Asian cooking.