Crucifixion Thorn
Castela emoryi
Photographed sw of Arlington, Arizona, Maricopa Co., Arizona. 17 February 2008. This image is hosted at the Wikimedia Project
Cluster of woody fruits - these lighter brown capsules appear to be maybe a year or two old. They can remain on the plant for many years. Photographed sw of Arlington, Arizona, Maricopa Co., Arizona. 17 February 2008. This image is hosted at the Wikimedia Project
SHRUB or TREE : Grows with one to several main stems to a height of
5 Meters.
ARMED. All twig ends are drawn into straight, stiff, very sharp thorns.
LEAVES: Leaves are reduced to inconspicuous scales. The stems and twigs
are green, photosynthetic
RANGE: Southwestern Arizona and southeastern California at lower
elevations that are largely free of killing frosts. Also in Sonora, Mexico.
Mostly grows in deep, silty soils where it taps into ground water.
FRUIT: Dry, woody capsules in clusters remain on the plant for many years, turning darker brown with each passing year. Seeds remain enclosed within to be released up to several years after production, when rain and other conditions are more favorable.
FLOWERS: Green, inconspicuous flowers less than a cm in diameter.
Simaroubaceae -- Simarouba Family
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More Information:
- Jepson Manual
- USDA Plant Profile
- ITIS Taxonomic Report
- Google Images
- Google Scholar Literature Search