0425 



JERUSALEM THORN. 



Family: BUCKTHORN FAMILY. [Translator's note: now in family Rhamnaceae]. 

 Reproductive system: PENTANDRY, TRIGYNY. 



The Jerusalem thorn, Paliurus aculeatus, is a large shrub of southern Provence, 

 where it's known as argalou, porte-chapeau [Translator's note: i.e. hatstand], arnaveou. 

 It has smooth bark and spreading flexible branches that have two very hard thorns of 

 unequal length at their insertion. The leaves are alternate, petiolate, oval, lightly toothed, 

 smooth, and have two thorns, one of which is recurved, at their base. The yellow flowers 

 form small clusters at the leaf axils. The calyx consists of five sections with a fleshy disk 

 inside on which five petals and five stamens insert, alternating with the sections. The disk 

 surrounds an ovary bearing three styles. The fruit is a flattened dry drupe with three 

 compartments and has a horizontal wing around the edge; it looks like a squashed hat. 



FLOWERS: in June and July. 



RANGE: the vicinity of Frejus [Translator's note: on the Riviera], Languedoc, and 

 southern Dauphine. 



NOMENCLATURE. Paliurus is the name of a place in Greek; it's a town in North 

 Africa located opposite the island of Crete. Dioscorides, Theophrastus, and Athenaeus 

 [Translator's note: Greek philosophers and writers on plants of the ancient world] spoke 

 of a thorny tree by this name, but it's not one that's easily recognized. German, 

 christdorn, judendorn. Dutch, christdoorn. English, the common Christ's thorn. Italian, 

 spino crocefisci. Russian, tschischnik. Kalmuk, er totar. 



USES. The stem and leaves of this shrub are believed to be astringent. The thorns 

 arc numerous and very sharp, so the shrubs could be used to make very good hedges. For 

 that they only need to be planted and staked parallel to each other. 



