Paliurus spina-christi seeds, Jerusalem thorn tree, Garland thorn, Christ's thorn, Crown of thorns, Deciduous shrub seeds (lat. Paliurus spina-christi).
Deciduous shrub or small tree of the Buckthorn family up to three to four meters high, sometimes forming impenetrable thickets.
The shoots are zigzag-shaped, with regular leaves and two thorns, one of which is straight, and the second is bent backwards.
The leaves are alternate, obovate, whole-edged or finely filiated, narrowed at the top, brilliant green, 2-5 cm long and 1-4 cm wide.
The flowers are bisexual, very small, collected in false umbrellas. The petals are yellowish-green, not fused, number five. There are also five stamens. A pistil of carpels with a two-three-nesting semi-lower ovary. Flowering in July-August. Bees produce excellent honey from its flowers, since it is a honey-bearing plant.
The fruit is a hemispherical lignified drupe with a diameter of 2.0-3.5 cm, covered with a yellowish-brown woolly disc; it contains 2-3 flat obovate seeds. Fruiting in October - December.
In the wild, it grows along the banks of rivers, along dry rocky slopes, in gorges. The plant is cultivated for decorative and medicinal purposes. When constructing landscapes, they are used as hedges. It takes root well on sandy and clay soils. It can grow both in highly alkaline and acidic soil. Prefers open or slightly shaded (sparsely wooded) areas. It grows both in well-drained and moist soil. Resistant to drought.