CROWN OF THORNS

Common name: Crown of thorns

Scientific name: Euphorbia milii

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Chinese name: 铁海棠

Description

This desert plant has thorny stems. The red part of the flowers are not petals but bracts (modified leaves). The Crown of Thorns was supposedly the plant used for Christ's crown of thorns. It was named after Euphorbius, a Greek physician in 1 AD, who used the sap to make medicine. However, the sap can cause skin irritation or blindness.

Source:
http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/page.php?id=426
http://www.natureloveyou.sg/Plants-E.html