82. Of what kind of plant was Jesus' crown of thorns made?

The crown of thorns which was placed upon the brow of Christ is be­lieved to have been either of the thorny species known as the coppares spinosae, or the Arabian nubk.

Some writers hold that it may have been the plant known as the southern buckthorn. There is a legend that Em­press Helena recovered the thorny crown and preserved it as a sacred relic.

Several treatises have been written about it, but nothing definite can be stated.