Common Name: Christ's Thorn

General Information

Ziziphus spina-christi is an evergreen shrub or tree that starts branching low down on the bole and forms a thick, tangled crown; it can grow up to 18 metres tall, but is usually considerably smaller. The short bole can be 60cm in diameter[, , ].
The plant is harvested from the wild as a local source of food, medicines and materials. It is cultivated for its fruit in the oases of the Sahara, Tunisia, Algeria, Niger, E Africa, Sinai and also in Iran and N India; occasionally also in other areas such as Cuba[]. It is also grown for ornamental purposes and to provide shade[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Africa - across the Sahel from Senegal to Somalia, south to Kenya, through Arabia to Iran, India.

Habitat

A lower canopy tree confined to patches of upland dry forest at elevations between 1,550 - 2,150 metres, between the lower edges of montane conifer forest, grassland and open woodlands at lower elevations[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	10.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of arid and semi-arid areas in hot tropical or subtropical areas, found at elevations up to 2,400 metres. It grows in areas where the mean annual rainfall is within the range 100 - 500mm with a dry season of up to 8 - 10 months; and the mean annual temperature is 19 - 28°c[, ]. The plant is very tolerant of high temperatures, but intolerant of frosts[].
Requires a sunny position. It prefers alluvial plains with deep soils, but it can also grow on clay where water is available and in saline soils[]. It prefers growing along the edges of ponds, river and wadi banks where groundwater is available[]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[]. Tolerant of up to 2 months seasonal inundation of the soil[].
There are two forms of this plant:-
Var. spina-christi is a tree with white branches. It produces fruits up to 2cm in diameter[].
Var. microphylla Hochst ex A. Rich. Is a very bushy shrub. The fruits are up to 1cm in diameter[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - fresh, dried or cooked[, ]. The mealy fruit has a pleasant, sub-acid taste, somewhat resembling dried apples[]. The fruit is occasionally sweet, but the flavour and texture are inferior to other Ziziphus spp. which
have been domesticated in Africa and northern India[]. The average fruit weighs about 50g, with a single large seed[].

Medicinal

A powder made from the charred thorns is used as an antidote to snake bites[].

The roots are used to treat headaches[].

The boiled leaves are applied to various surface wounds, and also have anthelminthic and antidiarrhetic properties[]. A cataplasm of young leaves is used to reduce eye inflammations[].

The fruits are used as an emollient and astringent[]. They are also reputed to reduce abscesses and boils[].
A narcotic beverage made from the fruits is considered to be a tranquilliser and sedative[].

The leaves contain various alkaloids, including ziziphine, jubanine and amphibine, alpha terpinol, linalol and diverse saponins[].

Agroforestry Uses:

A thorny plant, it is grown as a stock-proof hedge and living fence[, ]. It also makes a useful windbreak and shelterbelt[].
The tree develops a very deep taproot and spreading lateral roots, making it useful for stabilizing sand dunes and other unstable soils[].
The tree improves soil quality by increasing available phosphorus[].
The tree is sometimes interplanted with millet[].

Other Uses

It has been reported that applying the bark in larger doses reduces nematode activity in cereal fields and leads to significant increase in the yield of sunflowers[].
In a trial, a methane extract of the leaf at a concentration of 10,000ppm in distilled water reduced the egg hatching of root nematodes by more than 99% after 21 days compared with a control[].

The red or dark brown wood is hard, heavy and resistant to termites. It is used for cabinet making, tool handles, posts, furniture, turnery and general carpentry[].
The wood makes a good fuel and an excellent charcoal[, ].

Propagation

Seed -

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