Ziziphus spina-christi

Ziziphus spina-christi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Plantae
Clade:Angiosperms
Clade:Eudicots
Clade:Rosids
Order:Rosales
Family:Rhamnaceae
Genus:Ziziphus
Species: Z. spina-christi
Binomial name
Ziziphus spina-christi
Synonyms[1]
  • Rhamnus spina-christi L.

Ziziphus spina-christi, known as the Christ's thorn jujube, is an evergreen tree or plant native to northern and tropical Africa, Southern and Western Asia. It is native to the regions Levant, East Africa and some tropical countries.[2]

Ecology

In the Levant, it grows in valleys up to an elevation of 500 m.[3] The ripe fruits are edible.[4]

Cultural and religious references

In the Levant, a hundred years ago, it was called sidr (associated with the Lote-trees of the Quran) and was common in the Jordan Valley and around Jerusalem.[5] There were some folklore traditions that said the trees were protected by benevolent spirits or dead saints (weli). By some traditions, it was the tree from which Jesus' crown of thorns was made.[6] Easton argues that the spina-christi is too brittle to be bent into a crown, and suggests another local plant which he says is called "nabk."[7]

The oldest known Ziziphus is located south of Jerusalem, in Ayn Husb, Palestine. It estimated to be about 2000 years old. It is believed locally to be the very tree from which Jesus' crown of thorns was made.[8]

References

  1. ↑ The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species, retrieved 30 January 2016
  2. ↑ http://www.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Zizyphus_spina-christi.PDF
  3. ↑ Zohary M. Flora Palaestina. II. Jerusalem: The Israel Academy of Science and Humanities; 1972. pp. 307–308 cited in Amots Dafni; Shay Levy & Efraim Lev (2005), "The ethnobotany of Christ's Thorn Jujube (Ziziphus spina-christi) in Israel", J Ethnobiol Ethnomed, 1: 8, doi:10.1186/1746-4269-1-8, PMC 1277088, PMID 16270941
  4. ↑ Archived April 24, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ Easton, M.G., M.A., D.D. (1893). Illustrated Bible Dictionary and Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature: With Numerous Illustrations and Important Chronological Tables and Maps. London, Edinburgh and New York: T. Nelson and Sons. p. 688. «It overruns a great part of the Jordan valley.» p.174. Easton argues that the spina-christi is too brittle to be bent into a crown. He suggests another local plant which he says is called «nabk».
  6. ↑ "Ziziphus spina-christi". Flowersinisrael.com. Retrieved 2015-03-09.
  7. ↑ Easton, M.G., M.A., D.D. (1893) 'Illustrated Bible Dictionary and Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature With Numerous Illustrations and Important Chronological Tables and Maps. T. Nelson and Sons, London, Edinburgh and New York. p.174
  8. ↑ "Oldest trees in Israel".
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