Jerusalem Thorn

Paliurus spina-christi

''Paliurus spina-christi'', commonly known as Jerusalem Thorn, Garland Thorn, Christ's Thorn, or Crown of Thorns, is a species of ''Paliurus'' native to the Mediterranean region and southwest and central Asia, from Morocco and Spain east to Iran and Tajikistan.
Paliurus spina-christi Fall,Geotagged,Greece,Paliurus spina-christi

Appearance

It is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 3–4 m tall. The shoots are zig-zagged, with a leaf and two stipular spines on the outside of each kink. The leaves are oval, 2–5 cm long and 1–4 cm broad, glossy green, with an entire margin. The fruit is a dry woody nutlet centred in a circular wing 2–3.5 cm diameter.
Christ's thorn - Paliurus spina-christi https://www.jungledragon.com/image/79082/christs_thorn_-_paliurus_spina-christi.html Bulgaria,Christ's thorn,Eudicot,Europe,Flowering Plant,Geotagged,Jerusalem thorn,Magnoliophyta,Nature,Paliurus spina-christi,Plantae,Rhamnaceae,Rhodope mountains,Rosales,Spring,Wildlife

Naming

The name reflects an old legend that the spiny branches were used to make the crown of thorns placed on Christ's head before his crucifixion.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassEudicots
OrderRosales
FamilyRhamnaceae
GenusPaliurus
SpeciesP. spina-christi
Photographed in
Bulgaria
Greece