also: からすざんしょう
noun
ailanthus-like prickly ash; Zanthoxylum ailanthoides
A deciduous tree in the citrus family, native to East Asia. Its Japanese name literally means 'crow pepper-tree'.
カラスザンショウは山地に生える落葉高木です。
The ailanthus-like prickly ash is a deciduous tree that grows in mountainous areas.
カラスザンショウの葉は独特の香りがします。
The leaves of the ailanthus-like prickly ash have a distinctive fragrance.
Refers to the Japanese pepper tree (Zanthoxylum piperitum), a related species whose fruit is used as a spice. カラスザンショウ is a different, larger species not used for spice.
Compound of カラス (crow) and ザンショウ (prickly ash), likely from the dark color of the fruit or bark, or because it is considered a less useful relative of the true サンショウ.