Ziziphus jujuba Mill.

Chinese Jujube; Common Jujube

Shrub

Perennial

Vascular

Jujube is an introduced deciduous shrub or small tree in the Buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae). It is native to Asia and the Middle East from Lebanon to Arabia, India, and China. In Alabama it has been collected from the southern half of the state. Jujube grows around old home sites, along fence rows, in pastures, and in prairies. It is a shrub or small tree reaching 30 feet in height. The young stems are reddish brown in color and often with a zig-zag growth pattern. Older stems and the trunk have grayish bark and are often contorted or pendulous. The plant is armed with straight or curved stipular spines. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, ovate to elliptic in outline, coriaceous, with crenate or serrate margins. The leaves are glabrous, dark green and glossy above and paler green below. Flowers are produced in 2-8 flowered cymes. The hypanthium is yellowish green and glabrous. Each flower has 5 yellowish green sepals and 5 yellowish petals. The fruit is a reddish-purple oblong 1 or 2 seeded drupe. Jujube is widely cultivated for its fruit which has a consistency and taste similar to an apple. The fruit is eaten fresh, dried, or made into deserts. Jujube prefers a sunny location with well-draining soil. Numerous cultivars are available to nurseries. It can also be propagated from seed or root suckers. In areas of the Black Belt region Jujube is mistakenly referred to as an olive with the story that it was originally planted by French Bonapartists who formed the Vine and Olive Colony in parts of what is today Marengo and Hale counties.-A. Diamond.

While not technically a tautonym, the Melbourne Code accepted the proposal to reject the older name Ziziphus zizyphus (Linnaeus) H. Karsten in 2011.

Not Native

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