Koeberlinia

For other uses, see Crucifixion thorn (disambiguation).

Koeberlinia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Brassicales
Family:	Koeberliniaceae Engl.
Genus:	Koeberlinia
Species:	K. spinosa
Binomial name
Koeberlinia spinosa Zucc.
Natural range

Koeberlinia spinosa is a species of flowering plant native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico known by several common names, including crown of thorns, allthorn, and crucifixion thorn. It is the sole species of the monotypic genus Koeberlinia, which is sometimes considered to be the only genus in the plant family Koeberliniaceae. Alternately it is treated as a member of the caper family. This is a shrub of moderate to large size, sprawling to maximum heights over 4 m (13 ft). It is entirely green while growing and is made up of tangling straight stems which branch many times. The tip of each rigid stem branch tapers into a long, sharp spine. Leaves are mainly rudimentary, taking the form of tiny deciduous scales. Most of the photosynthesis occurs in the green stem branches. The shrub blooms abundantly in white to greenish-white flowers. The fruits are shiny black berries each a few millimeters long; they are attractive to birds.

Koeberlinia spinosa can be found in northern regions of the Mexican Plateau and in the east down into the northern foothills of the Sierra Madre Orientals. In the west it ranges into the southern, and central Sonoran Desert of Sonora, and southern and southwestern Arizona; it also ranges into three areas of Baja California Sur-(part of the Sonoran Desert).

Further reading

• Little. Atlas of United States Trees, Volume 3, Minor Western Hardwoods, Little, Elbert L, 1976, US Government Printing Office. Library of Congress No. 79-653298. Map 95-SW, Koeberlinia spinosa.

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

• Jepson Manual Treatment: ssp. tenuispina
• USDA Plants Profile
• Chihuahuan Desert Plants
• Photo gallery