Ziziphus jujuba

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Ziziphus jujuba
Light:Full Sun
Moisture:Xeric Mesic
Hardiness:6
Soil pH:5.6-8.4
Self Pollinated
Height:33'
Width:23'
Speed:Fast
Blooms:Mid Spring-Late Spring
Open Woods Forest
Native to:
Edible Rating:PFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating:PFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal Rating
Tea:Yes
Poisonous

Ziziphus jujuba (common name: jujube)

Propagation: Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Stored seed requires 3 months warm then 3 months cold stratification[1]. Germination should take place in the first spring, though it might take another 12 months. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant out in early summer.

Root cuttings in a greenhouse in the winter[2]. Best results are achieved if a temperature of 5 - 10°c can be maintained[3].

Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, November to January in a frame[3].

Division of suckers in the dormant season[4]. They can be planted out direct into their permanent positions if required.

Cultivation: Succeeds in most soils so long as they are well-drained[5][2]. Prefers an open loam and a hot dry position[6][5]. Succeeds in an alkaline soil[2]. Plants are fast growing, even in poor soils[7].

Plants are hardy to about -20°c[2]. Another report says that they are hardy to about -30°c when fully dormant[8].

The jujube is often cultivated in warm temperate zones for its edible fruit, there are many named varieties[9][10]. The trees need a hot dry summer if they are to fruit well, which rather restricts their potential in a country like Britain[3][K]. The tree spreads by root suckers and self-sowing, often forming dense thickets. Where the climate suits it, the plant can escape from cultivation and become an invasive and problematic weed[11].

Trees are resistant to most pests and diseases[8].

Responds well to coppicing[7].

Trees form a deep taproot and should be planted into their permanent positions as soon as possible[2].

Fast growing and quick to mature, it can fruit in 3 - 4 years from seed[2].

Range: E. Asia - China, Japan.

Habitat: Dry gravelly or stony slopes of hills and mountains[12].

Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[6][13][5][14][15]. Mealy and sweet[16]. A sourish-sweet flavour[4]. The fruit can be eaten fresh, dried like dates or cooked in puddings, cakes, breads, jellies, soups etc[10]. The dried fruit has the nicest taste[17][18]. The fruits are often left to become wrinkled and spongy, which increases their sweetness, and are then eaten fresh or cooked[3]. The dried fruit can also be ground into a powder. This powder is used in the preparation of 'kochujang', a fermented hot pepper-soybean paste that resembles miso[10]. Fruits are about 13mm in diameter[19] and contain one or two seeds[3]. Average yields from wild trees in the Himalayas are 9.5kg per year[19]. The fruit contains about 8.7% sugars, 2.6% protein, 1.4% ash, 1.7% pectin and 1.3% tannin[19]. The fruit is about 25mm long, though it can be larger in cultivated varieties[2].

The fruit can be used as a coffee substitute[10].

Leaves - cooked. A famine food, they are only used when all else fails[20]. A nutritional analysis is available[21].

Medicinal: Jujube is both a delicious fruit and an effective herbal remedy. It aids weight gain, improves muscular strength and increases stamina[22]. In Chinese medicine it is prescribed as a tonic to strengthen liver function[22]. Japanese research has shown that jujube increases immune-system resistance. In one clinical trial in China 12 patients with liver complaints were given jujube, peanuts and brown sugar nightly. In four weeks their liver function had improved[22].

Antidote, diuretic, emollient, expectorant[17][23][4][24][19].

The dried fruits contain saponins, triterpenoids and alkaloids[25]. They are anodyne, anticancer, pectoral, refrigerant, sedative, stomachic, styptic and tonic[26][27][21]. They are considered to purify the blood and aid digestion[28]. They are used internally in the treatment of a range of conditions including chronic fatigue, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, pharyngitis, bronchitis, anaemia, irritability and hysteria[27][3][25].

The seed contains a number of medically active compounds including saponins, triterpenes, flavonoids and alkaloids[25]. It is hypnotic, narcotic, sedative, stomachic and tonic[29][27][21]. It is used internally in the treatment of palpitations, insomnia, nervous exhaustion, night sweats and excessive perspiration[27][3].

The root is used in the treatment of dyspepsia[21]. A decoction of the root has been used in the treatment of fevers[26][28]. The root is made into a powder and applied to old wounds and ulcers[28].

The leaves are astringent and febrifuge[26][21]. They are said to promote the growth of hair[21]. They are used to form a plaster in the treatment of strangury[28].

The plant is a folk remedy for anaemia, hypertonia, nephritis and nervous diseases[21].

The plant is widely used in China as a treatment for burns[21].

Usage: Plants can be grown as a hedge[24].

Wood - dense, hard, compact, tough. Used for turnery, agricultural implements etc[12][7][15]. It makes an excellent fuel[7] and a good charcoal[15].

Pollinators: Insects

Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.

Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.

Seed Ripens: Mid Fall

Flower Type: Hermaphrodite

Also Known As: Z. sativa. Z. vulgaris. Z. zizyphus. (L.)Karsten. Rhamnus zizyphus.

Links

References

  1. ↑ Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Kariyone, Tatsuo. Atlas of Medicinal Plants.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Simmons, Alan. Growing Unusual Fruit. David and Charles, 1972.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Gamble, James. A Manual of Indian Timbers. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1972.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Natural Food Institute. Wonder Crops 1987.
  9. ↑ Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
  11. ↑ Diggs, George and Barney Lipscomb. Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas. Botanical Research Institute, 1999.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
  13. ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
  14. ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Gupta, Basant. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press, 1945.
  16. ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
  18. ↑ Corbetta, Francisco. The COmplete Book of Fruits and Vegetables. 1985.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Parmar, Chiranjit. Wild Fruits of the Sub-Himalayan Region. Kalyani Publishers, 1982.
  20. ↑ Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 21.6 21.7 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
  23. ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Medicinal Plants in the Republic of Korea. World Health Organisation, 1998.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
  29. ↑ Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.


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