City (pop., 2000: 277,454) and port on Corpus Christi Bay, southern Texas, U.S. Founded in 1839 as a trading post, it was the scene of Mexican War operations and American Civil War skirmishes. The arrival of the railroad in 1881 stimulated a land boom. The exploitation of gas (1923), development of a deepwater port (1926), and discovery of the Saxtet oil field (1939) laid the city's economic foundation. Resort facilities are based on the bay and the coastal barrier islands, including Padre Island. It is also the site of the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station.

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Paliurus spina-christi, commonly known as Jerusalem Thorn, Garland Thorn, Christ's Thorn, or Crown of Thorns, is a species of Paliurus native to the Mediterranean region and southwest and central Asia, from Morocco and Spain east to Iran and Tajikistan.

It is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 3-4 m tall. The shoots are zig-zagged, with a leaf and two stipular spines (one straight, one curved) on the outside of each kink. The leaves are oval, 2-5 cm long and 1-4 cm broad, glossy green, with an entire margin. The fruit is a dry woody nutlet centred in a circular wing 2-3.5 cm diameter.

The name reflects an old legend that the spiny branches were used to make the crown of thorns placed on Christ's head before his crucifixion.

Synonyms include Paliurus aculeatus Lam., P. australis Gaertn., and Rhamnus paliurus L.

References

• Flora Europaea: Paliurus spina-christi
• Germplasm Resources Information Network: Paliurus spina-christi
• Rushforth, K. D. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. ISBN 0-00-220013-9.