Ziziphus spina-christi

In the Levant, it grows in valleys up to an elevation of 500 m,[3] and is drought tolerant and very heat-resistant.[4] The ripe fruits are edible.[5] The seed, contained within a small, oblong woody pit, is opened and eaten by local fauna, including the rock hyrax.

In the Levant and wider Middle East it is called sidr (associated with the lote tree of the Quran) and is common in the Jordan Valley and around Jerusalem,[6] as well as in the Hajar Mountains of the Sultanate of Oman.[7] There were some folklore traditions that said the trees were protected by benevolent spirits or dead saints. According to Abd al-Aziz Ibn Baz, the leaves of the tree are also useful in curing magic-induced ailments in Islamic traditions.[8] By some traditions, it was the tree from which Jesus' crown of thorns was made.[9] Matthew George Easton argues that Z. spina-christi is too brittle to be bent into a crown, and suggests another local plant, Ziziphus lotus.[10]

The oldest known Z. spina-christi is located in Ir Ovot, in the south of Israel.[11] It is estimated to be between 1500 and 2000 years old.[12][13] It is believed locally to be the very tree from which Jesus' crown of thorns was made.[14] It is the national tree of Qatar and the symbol of the central Arava.

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  Z. spina-christi fruit, in Israel
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  Z. spina-christi blossom, Behbahan, Iran
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  Wild Z. spina-christi tree in Iran
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  Z. spina-christi fruit, Behbahan, Iran

• Easton, M.G. (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.
• Ziziphus spina-christi in West African plants – A Photo Guide.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ziziphus spina-christi.

• Thorns of Ziziphus spina-christi Archived 2016-03-14 at the Wayback Machine
• Flowers in Israel - Ziziphus spina-christi