Canotia holacantha

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iCrucifixion thorn

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Celastrales
Family:	Celastraceae
Genus:	Canotia
Species:	C. holacantha

Binomial name

Canotia holacantha
Torr.

Canotia holacantha, also known as crucifixion thorn or simply canotia, is a flowering shrub / small tree in the family Celastraceae, native to the deserts of the southwestern United States (south-central Arizona and southeastern California) and northwest Mexico (isolated locales in Baja California and Sonora). It is the only species in the genus Canotia.

Canotia grows in desert scrub environments, primarily on slopes or in washes; it reaches a height of ten to fifteen feet, with gray-green branches tipped with sharp thorns. Its leaves are insignificant scales which are quickly shed and rarely seen; more easily seen are its seed pods, which are persistent clusters of reddish-brown seed capsules which hang in groups of five. Like the unrelated foothill palo verde which it closely resembles, this species handles photosynthesis with its twigs, rather than the short-lived leaves. Though usually a scrubby, relatively short species, one specimen of this species located in the Mojave Desert near Wikieup, Arizona is known to exceed thirty feet in height [1].

Other common names for this species include chaparro amargosa, corona-de-cristo, and rosario; all such names are in reference to its thorny twigs, which are likened to the Crown of Thorns.

The name "crucifixion thorn" is also applied to several unrelated species, some of which canotia shares its range with, including Castela emoryi in the family Simaroubaceae and Koeberlinia spinosa (allthorn) in the family Koeberliniaceae.

The World War II Ailanthus-class net laying ship USS Canotia (AN-47) was named after this tree.