Castela emoryi
{{short description|Species of plant}}
{{other uses|Crucifixion thorn (disambiguation)}}
{{speciesbox
| image = Castela_emoryi.jpg
| image_caption =
| status = G4
| status_system = TNC
| genus = Castela
| species = emoryi
| authority = (A.Gray) Moran & Felger
Transactions of the San Diego Society of Natural History 15(4):40. 1968
| synonyms = Holacantha emoryi A. Gray
}}
Castela emoryi, with the common names crucifixion thorn, Emory's crucifixion-thorn, and {{langx|es|chaparro amargosa}}, {{Cite web |url=https://unitedplantsavers.org/species-at-risk-list/chaparro-castela-emoryi/ |title=Chaparro – Castela emoryi |date=10 September 2019 |publisher=United Plant Savers }} is a shrub species in the genus Castela of the family Simaroubaceae. {{Cite web |url=https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=18147 |title=Castela emoryi EMORY'S CRUCIFIXION-THORN |publisher=Jepson Herbarium }}
Distribution
The plant is native to the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Deserts of North America.
It is found in southern California, Arizona, and Sonora state (México).
The species is dioecious and occurs in the moistest areas in the hottest, driest deserts within its range; it is considered poor in germination. {{Cite web |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.128232/Castela_emoryi |title=Castela emoryi Crucifixion-thorn |publisher=NatureServe }}
Description
Castela emoryi is often less than {{convert|1|m|ft}}, and occasionally to grows {{convert|4|m|ft}} or more.[http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=1667 CalFlora: Castela emoryi]
Crucifixion thorn is mostly leafless, {{Cite web |url=http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/DENDROLOGY/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=487 |title=crucifixion thorn Simaroubaceae Castela emoryi (A. Gray) Moran & Felger |publisher=Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation }} its sharp branches are green and perform photosynthesis. {{Cite web |url=https://www.desertusa.com/flora/crucifixion-thorn.html |title=The Crucifixion Thorn Chaparro Amargosa Castela emoryi |publisher=DesertUSA }} Seeds are contained in clusters of fruit in groups of 5. The fruit is tan, green, red or brown in color, turning black with age, and may persist on the tree for several years. {{Cite web |url=https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CAEM4 |title=Castela emoryi |publisher=Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center }}
It is ranked on the California Native Plant Society Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants, as an endangered species within California, and more common elsewhere.[http://www.rareplants.cnps.org/detail/417.html California Native Plant Society−CNPS, Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants: Castela emoryi] . accessed 9.9.2015. It is threatened by solar energy development and military activities within its California range. The species is classified as "Salvage restricted" in Arizona. {{Cite web |url=https://agriculture.az.gov/plantsproduce/native-plants |title=Protected Arizona Native Plants |publisher=Arizona Department of Agriculture }}
Castela_emoryi-fruit.jpg|green thorns
Chaparro_amargosa-fruit.jpg|fruit cluster
Ecology
Castela emoryi is one of the few plants in its habitat that blooms in the mid-summer heat, and serves as an important source of resources for insects during that time. Its nectar is collected by ants, and pollination is performed by wasps and bees, particularly bumblebees.{{cite web |url=http://southwestdesertflora.com/WebsiteFolders/All_Species/Simaroubaceae/Castela%20emoryi,%20Crucifixion%20Thorn.html |title=Castela emoryi, Crucifixion Thorn |publisher=Southwest Desert Flora |access-date=Dec 10, 2022 }}
Uses
The Yavapai people traditionally used this as a medicinal plant, making a dermatological aid from its bud's sap.[http://herb.umd.umich.edu/herb/search.pl?searchstring=Castela+emoryi University of Michigan at Dearborn: Native American Ethnobotany for Castela emoryi]
=Insecticide and fungicide=
Castela emoryi is a {{C|Plant toxin insecticides|plant toxin insecticide}}. It contains quassinoids such as glaucarubolone glucoside which has antifeedant properties against termites such as Reticulitermes flavipes,Antifeedant properties of natural products from Parthenium argentatum, Parthenium argentatum, ×Parthenium tomentosum (Asteraceae) and Castela emoryi (Simaroubeaceae) against Reticulitermes flavipes. Carmen Gutiérrez, Azucena Gonzalez-Coloma and Joseph J. Hoffmann, Industrial Crops and Products, Volume 10, Issue 1, June 1999, Pages 35–40, {{doi|10.1016/S0926-6690(99)00003-5}} or potential fungicidal activity for the control of grape downy mildew.Glaucarubolone glucoside, a potential fungicidal agent for the control of grape downy mildew. Joseph J. Hoffmann, Shivanand D. Jolad, Louis K. Hutter, Steven P. McLaughlin, Steven D. Savage, Scott D. Cunningham, Jean Luc. Genet and George R. Ramsey, J. Agric. Food Chem., 1992, 40 (6), pages 1056–1057, {{doi|10.1021/jf00018a029}}
It also contains glaucarubol, a compound characteristic of the family, ellagic acid, betulin and (—)-syringaresinol.Constituents of holacantha emoryi. W. Stöcklin, L.B. De Silva and T.A. Geissman, Phytochemistry, Volume 8, Issue 8, August 1969, Pages 1565–1569, {{doi|10.1016/S0031-9422(00)85931-2}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Commons category-inline|Castela emoryi}}
- {{Wikispecies-inline}}
- [https://www.calflora.org/app/taxon?crn=1667 CalFlora Database: Castela emoryi (Cricifixion Thorn)]
- [https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_cpn.pl?Castela+emoryi Jepson Flora Project treatment of Castela emoryi]
- [https://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src=photos_index&where-taxon=Castela+emoryi UC Photos gallery — Castela emoryi]
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Category:Flora of the California desert regions
Category:Flora of the Sonoran Deserts
Category:Natural history of the Colorado Desert
Category:Natural history of the Mojave Desert
Category:Plant toxin insecticides
Category:Plants used in traditional Native American medicine
Category:Plants described in 1968