Ziziphus spina-christi explained

Ziziphus spina-christi, known as the Christ's thorn jujube, is an evergreen tree or plant native to the Levant, East Africa, and Mesopotamia.[1] Fruit and leaves from the tree were used in preparing ancient Egyptian foods, in cultural practices, and in skincare routines - especially with qasil powder derived from the Ziziphus spina-christi tree leaves.[2]

Ecology

In the Levant, it grows in valleys up to an elevation of 500 m,[3] and is drought tolerant and 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.

Cultural and religious references

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, as well as in the Hajar Mountains of the Sultanate of Oman.[6] By some myths, it was the tree from which Jesus' crown of thorns was made.[7] Matthew George Easton argues that Z. spina-christi is too brittle to be bent into a crown, and suggests another local plant, Ziziphus lotus.

The oldest known Z. spina-christi is located in Ir Ovot, in the south of Israel.[8] It is estimated to be between 1500 and 2000 years old.[9] [10] It is believed locally to be the very tree from which Jesus' crown of thorns was made.[11] It is the national tree of Qatar and the symbol of the central Arava.

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Zizyphus spina-Christi. 5Agroforestry Database 4.0. Orwa. etal. 2009. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150212174420/http://www.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Zizyphus_spina-christi.PDF. 2015-02-12.
  2. Web site: What Tree Does Qasil Powder Come From? . Qasil Dust. 30 July 2024 .
  3. Book: Zohary M.. Flora Palaestina. II.. Jerusalem. The Israel Academy of Science and Humanities. 1972. 307–308. Cited in The ethnobotany of Christ's Thorn Jujube (Ziziphus spina-christi) in Israel. Amots Dafni. Shay Levy. Efraim Lev. Efraim Lev. amp. 1277088. 16270941. 10.1186/1746-4269-1-8. 1. 2005. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 8 . free .
  4. [World Agroforestry Centre]
  5. Web site: Christ's Thorn - Ziziphus spina-Christi. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100424201940/http://www.beesfordevelopment.org/info/info/flora/christs-thorn-ziziphus-sp.shtml. April 24, 2010. Reinhard Fichtl. Bees for Development.
  6. Book: Lancaster, William. Honour is in contentment : life before oil in Ras al-Khaimah (UAE) and some neighbouring regions. 2011. De Gruyter. Lancaster, Fidelity.. 978-3-11-022340-8. Berlin. 137. 763160662.
  7. Web site: Ziziphus spina-christi . Flowersinisrael.com . 2015-03-09.
  8. News: Bar-am . Aviva . Bar-am . Shmuel . Rooted in Israel's history, five remarkable trees . Times of Israel. 15 November 2014.
  9. Web site: The "old man" of Hatzeva – the jujube tree at Hatzeva Spring . www.moag.gov.il . Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development . en.
  10. News: Grossman . Michelle Malka . Israeli trees get IDs with interactive heritage project . 27 October 2019 . . 24 January 2016.
  11. News: Sutton . Candace . The real story of Jesus Christ's crown of thorns . 27 October 2019 . . 20 April 2019.

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