Syrian Christ thorn

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Syrian Christ thorn
Syrian Christ thorn (Ziziphus spina-christi)

Syrian Christ thorn ( Ziziphus spina-christi )

Systematics
Eurosiden I
Order : Rose-like (rosales)
Family : Buckthorn Family (Rhamnaceae)
Tribe : Paliureae
Genre : Ziziphus
Type : Syrian Christ thorn
Scientific name
Ziziphus spina-christi
( L. ) Desf.

The Syrian Christ's Thorn ( Ziziphus spina-christi ), also Sidarbaum called, is a plant species within the family of the cross thorn plants (Rhamnaceae). It is distributed from North Africa and Western Asia to the Indian subcontinent . It is used in many ways in its home country. In Islam, Christianity and Judaism it has symbolic meaning.

Ziziphus lotus, which also bears yellow fruits and is native to this distribution area, is very similar .

description

Vegetative characteristics

Branch with alternate, stalked leaves, inflorescences and young fruits - the three main nerves of the leaf blades are clearly recognizable
Ripe stone fruits
Shrub-like habit
Shrub-like habit with overhanging branches with ripe stone fruits

The Syrian Christ thorn usually grows as an evergreen thorny shrub or sometimes as a medium-sized to large tree , which can reach heights of usually 3–8 m, sometimes up to 20 m and trunk diameter of about 60 cm. The trunk is turned. The Syrian Christ thorn is well branched with a broad crown. The gray-brownish bark is very cracked and scaly with age. The bark of the hanging, flexible twigs is light gray-brownish, glabrous or slightly hairy ( trichomes ). The stipules are transformed into paired thorns , one of which is erect and about 2 cm long and the other is curved back and 5–8 mm long; sometimes they can be absent.

The alternate leaves are arranged in a petiole and a leaf blade. The 3–12 mm long petiole is glabrous or hairy. The simple leaf blade is ovate-elliptical, almost circular, ovate-lanceolate or ellipsoidal with a blunt or almost heart-shaped blade base and a short, pointed, pointed or rounded to blunt, sometimes with a length of 2–6 cm and a width of 1–4 cm sanded top end. The leaf margin is almost smooth or barely noticeably notched. The upper side of the leaf is glabrous and the underside is, depending on the variety, glabrous or finely hairy on the veins. There are three main nerves, with the side nerves clearly visible.

Generative characteristics

The flowers are grouped in lateral, felty hairy cymes . The short inflorescence stem measures 1–3 mm in length. The woolly hairy pedicel is 3–5 mm long. The hermaphrodite, greenish-yellow flowers are radially symmetrical and five-fold with a double flower envelope . Their diameter is 4–6 mm. The five, on the outside finely hairy, on the inside, centrally keeled, broad-shaped sepals are about 1.5-2 mm long, with a more or less pointed upper end. The five narrow spatula and hood-shaped petals , alternating with the sepals, develop a length of 1.5 mm. The bald, fleshy disc (nectar disc ) is raised and ten-lobed. The five individual stamens on the edge of the disc are surrounded on the back by the petals and do not protrude above the corolla. The stamens and petals bend outward later in development. The ovary is semi-subordinate, the pale yellowish style is bilobed.

The edible, with a diameter of about 1–2.7 cm, round to oval, light yellow, light orange to orange or green, purple to reddish brown drupes have a hard, about 8–9.5 mm large, wrinkled and rounded Stone core containing 1-2 (3) approximately 6.5-7.5 mm large, flat, oval and orange-brown, smooth, slightly wrinkled seeds with little or no endosperm . The floury, whitish pulp is sweet and slightly sour.

Occurrence

Ziziphus spina-christi is distributed from North and East Africa ( Ethiopia , Somalia , Sudan , Kenya ) across the Arabian Peninsula , Egypt , Syria , Palestine , Lebanon , Iraq , southern Iran , to eastern Afghanistan , Pakistan and north-western India . The wide distribution area of Ziziphus spina-christi extends from Mauritania through the Sahara and the Sahel region of West Africa to the Red Sea .

Ziziphus spina-christi is resistant to drought and heat, but sensitive to frost. It even occurs in deserts with an annual rainfall of 100 mm. Ziziphus spina-christi prefers the banks of rivers and stagnant waters and can be found in wadis when groundwater is accessible. It survives waterlogging for up to 2 months and drying times of 8–10 months. Ziziphus spina-christi forms thorny, impenetrable thickets. Ziziphus spina-christi thrives at altitudes of up to 2000 meters. In Israel , for example, it thrives at altitudes of up to 500 meters. It grows at average annual temperatures between 19 ° C and 28 ° C and annual rainfall of 100–500 mm. Ziziphus spina-christi thrives best on alluvial plains with deep soils , but it also grows on clay soils where water is available and on salty soils.

Systematics

The first publication took place in 1753 under the name ( Basionym ) Rhamnus spina-christi by Carl von Linné in Species Plantarum , 1, p. 195. The new combination to Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Desf. was published in 1798 by René Desfontaines in Flora Atlantica 1, p. 201. A homonym is Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Willd. (published in Carl Ludwig von Willdenow : Species Plantarum , 4th edition, 1798, pp. 1105-1106). The specific epithet spina-christi means Christ thorn. Synonyms for Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Desf. are: Ziziphus africana Mill. , Ziziphus napeca Lam. , Rhamnus spina-christi L. , Ziziphus spinosa St. Lag.

There are two varieties of the species Ziziphus spina-christi :

  • Ziziphus spina-christi var. Aucheri (Boiss.) Qaiser & Nazim. : The leaves are finely hairy at least between the leaf veins. It has the chromosome number 2n = 72. It forms smaller fruits and is heavily branched.
  • Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Desf. var. spina-christi : The bark and leaves are bare, it forms larger fruits and leaves.
Shadow tree

use

The Syrian Christ thorn is planted in some areas of the world, especially as a supplier of fruits. It is grown in oases in the Sahara, Tunisia, Algeria, Niger , East Africa, the Sinai , Iran and northern India and sometimes in other areas such as Cuba.

The fruits are eaten. Ziziphus spina-christi produces fruits even under unfavorable site conditions, such as poor soils and drought. An alcoholic drink is produced from the fruits. The fruits are sometimes sweet, but the taste and texture are worse than other Ziziphus species grown in Africa as well as northern India. On average, the fruits weigh 50 g and contain a single large seed. The fruits contain 14.16% sugar and about 1.6% Vitamin C .

The Syrian Christ thorn is an important pasture for bees . Especially in Yemen and Eritrea , this type is important for the production of honey.

The fruits and leaves serve as food. The leaves are eaten by grazing animals, but are not particularly rich in nutrients. The fruits are eaten by sheep and goats and the leaves especially by camels.

The leaves are powdered and used as a shampoo and are said to have a positive effect on the growth of the hair roots.

The wood is used as firewood and to make charcoal , but since the Syrian Christ thorn grows slowly, it should not be used for this. Especially since it termite resistant, is the red or dark brown, hard and heavy wood versatile processed. For example, spear shafts and ceiling beams are made from it and it is used in art carpentry. Fences are made from the thorny branches.

Medical use has been studied. It has been shown that the ingredients of Ziziphus spina-christi have an antibacterial , antifungal , antioxidant and antinociceptive effect and are effective against hyperglycaemia . The most important bioactive phytochemicals of Ziziphus spina-christi are flavonoids , alkaloids and saponins . The fruits are used in folk medicine to cure various diseases.

It has been reported that the poisonous bark of Ziziphus spina-christi in larger doses reduces the activity of nematodes in grain fields and leads to significantly higher yields in sunflower cultivation.

The Syrian Christ thorn is planted as a shade tree and windbreak. Due to the very deep tap roots and the extensive root system of the side roots, the Syrian Christ thorn can be used as protection against erosion to stabilize sand dunes and other unstable surfaces. The Syrian Christ thorn increases the available phosphorus content of the soil . This reinforced plant species is also planted as a living fence.

symbolism

The Syrian Christ thorn has symbolic meaning in Judaism , Christianity and Islam . According to tradition, the crown of thorns was woven by Jesus Christ from the branches of the Syrian Christ thorn, hence the specific epithet spina-christi . The lotus tree (Greek λωτός) is a species of tree of unclear definition mentioned several times in ancient literature. The Qur'an describes an encounter between the Prophet and the one who brought him the revelation, "by the lotus tree at the extreme end" ( Sura 53 : 14, Arabic 'inda ṣidrati l-muntahā ). This could mean the sidar tree. In Islamic mythology this lotus tree stands at the end of the seventh heaven, which describes the highest level of human personality development. The Qatar Foundation chose the Syrian Christ Thorn as its logo .

Common names

Trivial names in different languages ​​are (selection):

  • English language: Christ thorn, Christs Thorn, Christ's thorn, Christ's-thorn, crown of thorns, Judas tree, Jujube, Nabbag, nabk tree, nebbuck, Syrian Christ Thorn, Syrian Christ-thorn, Syrian Christ-thorn
  • French language: épine du Christ, jujubier
  • Spanish language: yuyuba
  • Portuguese language: espinhos de Cristo
  • Arabic language: cornua, ennab, sédr, zegregh zegzeg, zefzouf, ardj, ourdj, ghasse
  • Haussa (Sahel): kurna
  • Peulh (Sahel): ngulunjaabi, kurnahi
  • Tamachek (Sahel): abakat, kurna, tobacco, waeruu
  • Berber: abaqua, korna
  • Tigrinya: gaba

swell

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Ziziphus spina-christi at Tropicos.org. In: Flora of Pakistan . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis In: Mohammad Qaiser, S. Nazimuddin: Flora of Pakistan. Volume 140: Rhamnaceae. Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi 1981.
  2. a b M. Dinarvand, F. Zarinkamar: Anatomy taxonomy of the genus Ziziphus in Iran. In: Iranian Journal of Botany , Volume 12, Issue 1, 2006, pp. 36–41: full text PDF.
  3. a b c d e Jinous Asgarpanah, Elaheh Haghighat: Phytochemistry and pharmacologic properties of Ziziphus spina christi (L.) Willd. In: African journal of pharmacy and pharmacology. Volume 6, Issue 31, 2012, pp. 2332–2339, doi : 10.5897 / AJPP12.509 full text PDF.
  4. a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s C. Orwa, A. Mutua, R. Kindt, R. Jamnadass, A. Simons, 2009: Full text PDF. at Agroforestry Database : a tree reference and selection guide , Version 4.0.
  5. A. Torahi: Quality and quantity identification of local ber (Ziziphus spina-christi L.) varieties in Iran. Date Palm and Tropical Fruit Research Institute, 2005.
  6. Chris J. Stevens, Sam Nixon et al. a .: Archeology of African Plant Use. Left Coast Press, 2014, ISBN 978-1-61132-974-2 , p. 146.
  7. Victor R. Preedy, Ronald Ross Watson, Vinood B. Patel: Nuts and Seeds. Academic Press, 2011, ISBN 978-0-12-375688-6 , p. 734.
  8. Christthorn Seed at Qur'anic Botanic Garden, Qatar, accessed December 10, 2017.
  9. ^ A b Ziziphus spina-christi in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved March 29, 2014.
  10. a b c d e f g data sheet at Mansfeld's World Database of Agriculture and Horticultural Crops .
  11. a b c d e f g h i j data sheet at PROTA4U - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa - Your guide to the use of African plants .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.prota4u.org  
  12. Data sheet at Weeds in Australia .
  13. Dafni, Shay Levy, and Efraim Lev : The ethnobotany of Christ's Thorn Jujube (Ziziphus spina-christi) in Israel In: Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine . Volume 1, 2005, p. 8 doi : 10.1186 / 1746-4269-1-8 .
  14. a b Evaluation of the salt tolerance of Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Desf. and Grewia tenax (Forsk.) Fiori: two unused fruit trees in Pakistan. Project of the University of Kassel.
  15. ^ Linnaeus scanned in at biodiversitylibrary.org in 1753 .
  16. Desfontaines scanned in 1798 at biodiversitylibrary.org .
  17. a b Ziziphus spina-christi at Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, accessed March 29, 2014.
  18. a b c Plant Diversity of Saudi Arabia - Renewable Natural Resources . ( Memento of the original from March 15, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / plantdiversityofsaudiarabia.info
  19. Martha Modzelevich, a tour guide in Israel, is the author of Flowers in Israel . (So ​​far from scientific evidence) .
  20. Borrowed from the Hebrew lōṭ, "myrrh oil".
  21. ^ Translation from Abu Rida. Khoury writes Ziziphusbaum , so "Christ thorn". The other German translations leave the species definition open and write Sidra .
  22. see lotus tree , quoted in the Koran suras 53: 13–18 and 56: 28–32.
  23. ^ Qatar Foundation .

literature

  • EA Elsiddig, O. Luukkanen, AS Batahir, MA. Elfadl: The Importance of Ziziphus spina-christi in The Drylands with Reference to Yemen. Proceedings, 2003, The 3rd Arab International Apicultural Conference , Tanta - Egypt - 28–31. December 2003: full text PDF.
  • AS Saied, H. Gebauer, K. Hammer, A. Buerkert: Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Willd: a multipurpose fruit tree. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. Volume 55, 2008, pp. 929-937.
  • HM Burkill: The useful plants of west tropical Africa. Volume 4, 1985: online.

Web links

Commons : Syrian Christ Thorn ( Ziziphus spina-christi )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files