Ziziphus Explained

Ziziphus ^[1] is a genus of spiny shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae. It includes 68 species native to tropical and subtropical Africa, Eurasia, and Australia and tropical South America. The leaves are alternate, entire, with three prominent basal veins, and often aromatic. The flowers are small, inconspicuous yellow-green. The fruit is an edible drupe, often very sweet and sugary, reminiscent of a date in texture and flavour.

Well known species include the commonly cultivated Ziziphus jujuba (jujube), Ziziphus spina-christi from southwestern Asia, Ziziphus lotus from the Mediterranean region, and ber (Ziziphus mauritiana), which is found from western Africa to India.

Etymology

The generic name is derived via classical Latin from Hellenistic Greek, where it is presumed to have been borrowed from another language, perhaps from zizfum or zizafun, the Persian word for Z. lotus.^[2]

Ecology

Ziziphus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Bucculatrix zizyphella, which feeds exclusively on the genus, and Endoclita malabaricus.

Species are distributed throughout the world in tropical and warm temperate areas, from rain forests to deserts. Some species are evergreen, others are winter or drought deciduous.

Species adapted to dry climates are smaller and have oleifera cells that produce a fragrant aroma.

Uses

The temperate Ziziphus jujuba (Chinese jujube) and the tropical Ziziphus mauritiana (Indian Jujube) are economically important fruit trees.

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), suan zao ren (Ziziphus jujuba) is considered to be sweet and sour in taste, and neutral in action. It is believed to nourish the heart yin, augment the liver blood, and calm the spirit (TCM medical terms). It is used to treat irritability, insomnia and heart palpitations.

Mythology

The mythological lotus tree which occurs in Homer's Odyssey is often equated with Z. lotus.^[3]

The Islamic mythological lote tree of Seventh Heaven, the Sidrat al-Muntaha is often equated with either Ziziphus spina-christi.^[4]

Species

68 species are accepted.

• Ziziphus abyssinica Hochst. ex A.Rich. – dry zones of tropical Africa
• Ziziphus affinis
• Ziziphus andamanica
• Ziziphus angustifolia
• Ziziphus apetala Hook.f. ex M.A.Lawson
• Ziziphus attopensis Pierre
• Ziziphus borneensis
• Ziziphus brunoniana
• Ziziphus budhensis Bhattarai & Pathak – Central Nepal
• Ziziphus calophylla
• Ziziphus cambodiana – Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam
• Ziziphus colombiana
• Ziziphus cotinifolia Reissek
• Ziziphus crebrivenosa
• Ziziphus cumingiana
• Ziziphus djamuensis
• Ziziphus elegans
• Ziziphus fungii Merr.
• Ziziphus funiculosa Buch.-Ham. ex M.A.Lawson
• Ziziphus glabrata
• Ziziphus globularis
• Ziziphus guaranitica Malme
• Ziziphus hajarensis Duling, Ghaz. & Prend.
• Ziziphus hamur
• Ziziphus havilandii
• Ziziphus hoaensis
• Ziziphus horrida Roth
• Ziziphus horsfieldii
• Ziziphus hutchinsonii – Philippines
• Ziziphus incurva Roxb.
• Ziziphus javanensis Blume
• Ziziphus jujuba Mill.  - Jujube
• Ziziphus kunstleri
• Ziziphus laui Merr.
• Ziziphus leucodermis
• Ziziphus linnaei
• Ziziphus lotus (L.) Lam. – Mediterranean region
• Ziziphus mairei Dode
• Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. – widespread through Old World tropics and subtropics
• Ziziphus melastomoides Pittier
• Ziziphus montana W.W.Smith
• Ziziphus mucronata Willd. buffalo thorn – southern Africa
• Ziziphus nummularia (Burm.f.) Wight & Arn. – Thar Desert of India and Pakistan
• Ziziphus oenopolia (L.) Mill.
• Ziziphus otanesii
• Ziziphus oxyphylla Edgew.
• Ziziphus papuana
• Ziziphus pernettyoides
• Ziziphus poilanei Tardieu
• Ziziphus pubescens
• Ziziphus pubinervis Rehder
• Ziziphus quadrilocularis F.Muell. – northern Australia
• Ziziphus ridleyana
• Ziziphus rivularis
• Ziziphus robertsoniana
• Ziziphus rubiginosa
• Ziziphus rugosa
• Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Desf.
• Ziziphus subquinquenervia
• Ziziphus suluensis
• Ziziphus talanae (Blanco) Merr. – Philippines
• Ziziphus timoriensis
• Ziziphus trinervis (Cav.) Poir.
• Ziziphus truncata Blatt. & Hallb.
• Ziziphus williamii Bhandari & Bhansali
• Ziziphus xiangchengensis Y.L.Chen & P.K.Chou
• Ziziphus xylopyrus (Retz.) Willd.
• Ziziphus zeyheriana

Other list sources:^{[5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]}

Formerly placed here

• Condaliopsis obtusifolia – Lotebush (as Ziziphus obtusifolia (Hook. ex Torr. & A.Gray) A.Gray)
• Pseudoziziphus celata (as Ziziphus celata Judd & Hall)
• Pseudoziziphus parryi  - Parry's Jujube (as Ziziphus parryi Torr.)
• Sarcomphalus mistol (as Ziziphus mistol Griseb.)

Fossil species

• † Ziziphus hyperboreus Heer (Greenland, Eocene fossil)
• † Ziziphus wyomingianis Berry (Tipperary, Wind River Basin Wyoming, USA, Eocene fossil)^[11]

† = Extinct

Notes and References

1. Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
2. Book: Quattrocchi, Umberto . CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names . 4 R-Z . 2000 . Taylor & Francis US . 978-0-8493-2678-3 . 2876.
3. Web site: Ziziphus jujuba, jujube | Trees of Stanford & Environs. trees.stanford.edu. May 15, 2024.
4. Web site: The Sidrah (Lote-Tree) and the Sidrat al-Muntaha (Lote-Tree of the Extremity) Some Apects of their Islamic and Bābī-Bahā'ī intepretations. faculty.ucmerced.edu.
5. Web site: Query Results for Genus Ziziphus . IPNI. August 7, 2009.
6. Web site: GRIN Species Records of Ziziphus . https://web.archive.org/web/20001031063613/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?13055 . dead . 2000-10-31 . . USDA. 2010-10-16 .
7. Web site: Classificação segundo a Flora brasiliensis . florabrasiliensis.cria.org.br. pt . August 7, 2009.
8. Web site: Ziziphus species list . . EFloras. September 7, 2009.
9. Web site: Genus Ziziphus . . 2008 . Catalogue of Life China: 2008 Annual Checklist China. . September 9, 2009.
10. Web site: Flora Europaea: Ziziphus query results . Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. September 7, 2009.
11. Book: Geological Survey professional paper, Issue 165: Shorter Contributions to General Geology. US Govt. Printing Office. 1930. 73. May 28, 2011.