Zanthoxylum melanostictum Schltdl. & Cham., Linnaea 5: 231. 1830; Z. scheryi Lundell; Z. paucijugum Lundell.

Arboles, 8–20 m de alto, spines not seen, without short-shoots, without zig-zag growth form; apical bud 1-3 mm de ancho, minutely puberulent; ramitas 4-7 mm de ancho, densely to sparsely puberulent. Hojas alternately evenly distributed and sometimes clustered at ramitas apex, trifoliate or imparipinnadas, 13-23 cm de largo, rachis terete, (if present) 1.5-2 mm de ancho; folíolos 3 (less frequently 5), lateral folíolos elípticos (rarely oblanceolate or oblong), 5.5-13 cm de largo y 2.3-5.5 cm de ancho, ápice obtuse, acute or rounded, sometimes also retuse, or obtuse or rounded then cuspidate, base attenuate and decurrent on petiole (sometimes inaequilateral), margen inconspicuamente serrulate or entire, revolute at base, sparsely and minutely puberulent on midrib or glabrous, coriaceous, 7-12 pairs of secondary veins; petioule 2-12 mm de largo. Panículas axillary or terminales and subterminal, 4-8 cm de largo, 2-4  times branched, rachis terete, minutely and densely puberulentas to nearly glabrous, pedicels ca 1.3  mm de largo y 0.8 mm de ancho, densely puberulent; flowers 5-merous; sépalos suborbicular to broadly ovate, 1/5-1/3 length of petals, glabrous, persistent; pétalos 3.1-3.3 mm de largo; carpels (3-) 5. Folículos (2) 3-5 with remnants of 1 ó 2 aborted carpels, free, 6-7 mm de largo, sparsely puberulent to glabrous, stipe 1-2 mm de largo; seeds 5-5.5 mm de largo.

Known in Nicaragua from one collection (Rueda 15650) with very young fruit from Reserva Natural Kilambé (Jinotega) at 1200-1700 m;  southern Mexico to Venezuela and Peru. The above description is based on the Nicaraguan specimen and similar material from Honduras and Guatemala. Some specimens from Costa Rica have much smaller, narrowly elliptic leaflets, larger follicles, with longer stipes and larger seeds. The name Zanthoxylum melanostictum was misapplied in the printed Flora de Nicaragua for the species treated here as Z. tetramerum.