Names
Scientific Name: Koeberlinia spinosa
Synonym:
Common Names: Crown of thorns, allthorn, crucifixion thorn, junco, corona de Jesus, corona de Cristo
Characteristics
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Large shrub, small tree
Arizona Native Status: Native
Habitat: Desert, riparian, 2,500 to 5,000 feet
Flower Color: White, green
Flowering Season: Spring through fall, after rains
Height: 8 to 15 feet
Description: Green twigs are thorn-tipped. Small, scaly leaves drop when dry. Branches conduct photosynthesis. Abundant flowers are small, greenish white and cream, appearing in clusters. Black berries follow the flowers.
Special Characteristics
Birds feed on this plant’s black berries and also roost and nest in its dense, tangled, thorny foliage. Both drought and cold hardy, it will survive temperatures as low as 0 degrees.
Classification
Order: Brassicales
Family: Koeberliniaceae
SOURCES:
University of Texas at Austin, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center website: wildflower.org/plants.
Southwest Environmental Information Network: swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php.
Texas A & M Aggie Horticulture Website: aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/nativeshrubs/koeberliniaspinos
Kearney, T. H. and R. H. Peebles. 1960. Arizona Flora. Los Angeles: University of California Press.
