- any of certain Old World thorny shrubs or small trees supposed to have been used for Christ's crown of thorns, as the Jerusalem thorn, Paliurus spina-christi, or the jujube, Ziziphus jujuba.
- any of several rhamnaceous plants of SW Asia, such as Paliurus spina-christi or the jujube, that have thorny stems and are popularly believed to have been used for Christ's Crown of Thorns
