medicinal herbs
Christ's Thorn
Paliuris spina-christi

• Medicinal herbs
• Natural herbs
• Latin names
• Common names

Herb: Christ's Thorn

Latin name: Paliuris spina-christi

Synonyms: Paliuris aculeatus, Paliuris australis, Paliuris virgatus

Family: Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn Family)

Medicinal use of Christ's Thorn:

Anticathartic, astringent, diuretic and tonic.

Description of the plant:

Habitat of the herb:

Hedges, roadsides and thickets, in maquis and garigue on dry sandy hills to 3000 metres.

Edible parts of Christ's Thorn:

Fruit - raw or dried for later use. A pleasant sub-acid taste, somewhat resembling dried apples. The woody fruit is up to 30mm in diameter.

Other uses of the herb:

The plants are used for hedging, they have a loose but bushy habit.

Propagation of Christ's Thorn:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame and moved into the greenhouse in February. Fair to good germination. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and overwinter them in the greenhouse for their first year. Plant them out in early summer. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Root cuttings 4cm long, December in a greenhouse. Fair to good percentage. Layering

Cultivation of the herb:

Hedges, roadsides and thickets, in maquis and garigue on dry sandy hills to 3000 metres.

Known hazards of Paliuris spina-christi:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.