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Castela emoryi
Crucifixion thorn is a spiny, mostly leafless desert shrub that photosynthesizes through its green, sharp branches. It is native to the Mojave and Sonoran deserts and is rare in California, so it is usually grown only where it is legally and ethically sourced; keep it very dry and sunny.
Castela emoryi, with the common names crucifixion thorn, Emory's crucifixion-thorn, and Spanish: chaparro amargosa, is a shrub species in the genus Castela of the family Simaroubaceae.
The plant is native to the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Deserts of North America.
The Yavapai people traditionally used this as a medicinal plant, making a dermatological aid from its bud's sap.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Castela emoryi by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
