Flower profile
Crown of thorns
Koeberlinia spinosa
Crown of thorns is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: New Mexico
Quick look
Koeberlinia spinosa is a species of flowering plant native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico known by several common names, including crown of thorns, allthorn, smokebush, and crucifixion thorn. It is one of two species of the genus Koeberlinia, which is sometimes considered to be the only genus in the plant family Koeberliniaceae. Alternately it is treated as a member of the caper family.
- It belongs to the Koeberliniaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a tree with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 4 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to New Mexico. NatureServe
- iNaturalist has 1,093 research-grade sightings of it in New Mexico, ranking #42 among the 109 flowers on our New Mexico list. iNaturalist
Crown of thorns gift ideas
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When does it bloom?
There are only a handful of New Mexico flowering records, so this chart uses records from across the U.S.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G4 Apparently secure worldwide. NatureServe
- New Mexico
- Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in New Mexico. 19.21.2.9 NMAC
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records crown of thorns in 4 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas.
New Mexico counties with USDA records: Dona Ana, Eddy, Grant, Hidalgo, Luna, Otero, Sierra.
More New Mexico flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile KOSP.
- iNaturalist, Koeberlinia spinosa: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Koeberlinia spinosa (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- New Mexico: New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC).
- New Mexico: New Mexico Noxious Weed List (NM Department of Agriculture, updated June 2020).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Koeberlinia spinosa (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: Bob Nieman via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.