Habitat
In the Levant, it grows in valleys up to an elevation of 500 m. The ripe fruits are edible. The seed, contained within a small, oblong woody pit, is opened and eaten by local fauna, including the rock hyrax.
Cultural
In the Levant, a hundred years ago, it was called "sidr" and was common in the Jordan Valley and around Jerusalem. There were some folklore traditions that said the trees were protected by benevolent spirits or dead saints. By some traditions, it was the tree from which Jesus' crown of thorns was made. Matthew George Easton argues that "Z. spina-christi" is too brittle to be bent into a crown, and suggests another local plant, "Ziziphus lotus".The oldest known "Z. spina-christi" is located south of Jerusalem, in Ein Hatzeva, Israel. It is estimated to be between 1500 and 2000 years old. It is believed locally to be the very tree from which Jesus' crown of thorns was made.
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