The Common or Northern Prickly Ash (Zanthoxylum americanum) is a native shrub / small understory tree with alternate compound leaves and paired prickles or thorns that surround the leaf bases.
It is a member of the Rutaceae (Citrus) family of plants better know for lemons, oranges, grapefruit and limes. The Northern Prickly Ash being the most northern member of this family. Indeed, the crushed foliage does in fact smell of lemons.
It is considered invasive by some because of its propensity to form dense thickets in newly disturbed areas. However, being a native species, it can only be considered a nuisance -- or more correctly -- a pioneer species providing a role in the early forest ecosystem.
