Bursaria spinosa spinosa" was first described by Antonio José Cavanilles in 1797. It is known by many common names, including Australian blackthorn, blackthorn, Christmas bush, mock orange, native blackthorn, native box, native olive, prickly box, prickly pine, spiny box, spiny bursaria, sweet bursaria, thorn box and whitethorn. Summer flowering has given rise to the name (Tasmanian) Christmas bush in Tasmania and South Australia (not to be confused with "Prostanthera lasianthos"). Indigenous names recorded include "kurwan" in Coranderrk, Victoria, and "geapga" from Lake Hindmarsh Station. "Bursaria spinosa" is highly variable in appearance and habit, as are other species within the genus, and there
Prunus fruticosa the pun are "fructus" or "frux", from "fruor", "enjoy" - a fruit is a result enjoyed - and "frutex", "shrub", adjective "fruticosus", "bushy", from a totally different root. "Prunus" is a grammatical feminine, so "Prunus fruticosa" agrees in gender. However, Pallas says "Haec mihi tantum fructibus suis innotuit, qui distinctam itidem speciem indicare videntur", "It came to my attention at last because of its fruit, which repeatedly seemed to indicate a distinct species." The fruit seemed "fere Pruni forma", "nearly in the form of "Prunus"", especially because "praedita oblongo nucleo", "furnished with an oblong seed." So, Pallas moved it from