''Ziziphus'' is a genus of about 40 species of spiny

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s and small trees in the

buckthorn ''Rhamnus'' is a genus of about 110 accepted species of shrubs or small trees, commonly known as buckthorns, in the family Rhamnaceae. Its species range from tall (rarely to ) and are native mainly in east Asia and North America, but found thr ...

family,

Rhamnaceae The Rhamnaceae are a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs, and some vines, commonly called the buckthorn family. Rhamnaceae is included in the order Rosales. The family contains about 55 genera and 950 species. The Rhamnaceae h ...

, distributed in the warm- temperate,

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

and tropical regions of the world. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are alternate, entire, with three prominent basal veins, and long; some species are deciduous, others evergreen. The flowers are small, inconspicuous yellow-green. The fruit is an edible

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...

, yellow-brown, red, or black, globose or oblong, long, often very sweet and sugary, reminiscent of a date in texture and flavour.

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''.

Ecology

''Ziziphus'' species are used as food plants by the

larvae A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

species including ''

Bucculatrix zizyphella ''Bucculatrix zizyphella'' is a moth in the family Bucculatricidae. It was described by Pierre Chrétien in 1907. It is found in former Yugoslavia, North Macedonia and Algeria. The wingspan is 5–6 mm. The larvae feed on '' Zizyphus lotus ...

'', which feeds exclusively on the genus, and ''

Endoclita malabaricus ''Endoclita malabaricus'' is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae. It is known from India. Food plants for this species include ''Acacia'', ''Ailanthus'', ''Albizia'', ''Bridelia'', ''Cajanus'', ''Callicarpa'', ''Camellia'', '' Cassia'', '' ...

''. Well known species includes ''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. '' Ziziphus joazeiro'' grows in the Caatinga of Brazil. '' Ziziphus celata'' is listed as an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

in the United States. The fruits are an important source for birds, which eat the whole fruit and regurgitate the seeds intact, expanding the seeds in the best conditions for germination ( ornithochory). Secondly, seed dispersal is carried out by mammals or fishes. The fruit is energy-rich because of the large amount of sugar it contains. It is cultivated and eaten fresh, dry, and in jam. It is also added as a base in meals and in the manufacture of candy. The

can be either deciduous or evergreen depending on species, and are aromatic. They are temperate or tropical plants, having a great range. They are most abundant where monthly average temperatures are between and and minimum winter temperatures are not lower than . They prefer locations with a high temperature coupled with humidity. They require a deep soil, fresh, soft, siliceous-calcareous nature or limestone-clay-silica-clay and subsurface permeable, with pH between 5.5 and 7.8. In excessively sandy or clay soils which may be affected by standing water, the plants do not grow well. Many species are very sensitive to drought, and if the land is excessively dry and of calcareous nature, they may resent the lack of moisture. At the slightest drought, premature fruit drop is frequent. ''Ziziphus'' has several relict species living in temperate areas. These species cannot endure the harsh winters of temperate continental climates. The ecological requirements of the genus are mostly those of vigorous species with a great ability to propagate in conducive habitats. This genus is adapted mostly to high rainfall and humidity, but some species are deciduous, living in Mediterranean humid climate. The deciduous ''Ziziphus'' species lose all of their

for part of the year depending on variations in rainfall. In deciduous species in tropical, subtropical, and arid regions, leaf loss coincides with the dry season. They grow mostly in tropical forests but have also been found in stubbles, pastures, coastal ranges, tropical mountain areas, and wet to dry interior regions. The family is distributed throughout tropical and subtropical areas and in

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...

. The differences are ecological adaptations to different environments over a relatively dry-wet climate. Species in less humid environment are smaller or less robust, with less abundant and thinner foliage and have oleifera cells that produce trees with a more fragrant aroma.

Uses

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), ''suan zao ren'' (''

Ziziphus spinosa ''Ziziphus'' is a genus of about 40 species of spiny shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae, distributed in the warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions of the world. The leaves are alternate, entire, with three promi ...

'') is considered to be sweet and sour in taste, and neutral in action. It is believed to nourish the heart

yin Yin may refer to: *the dark force in the yin and yang from traditional Chinese philosophy and medicine *Yīn (surname) (), a Chinese surname *Yǐn (surname) (), a Chinese surname *Shang dynasty, also known as the Yin dynasty **Yinxu or Yin, the S ...

, 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'', though the

date palm ''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as date or date palm, is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle Eas ...

is also a possible candidate.

Selected species

* ''

Ziziphus abyssinica ''Ziziphus abyssinica'' is a species of shrub in the family Rhamnaceae. It is endemic to dryer habitats across tropical Africa, south of the Sahel and north of the southern African deserts. Description ''Ziziphus abyssinica'' has distinct pair ...

'' Hochst. ex A.Rich. (Dry zones of tropical Africa) * '' Ziziphus angolito'' Standl. * '' Ziziphus apetala'' Hook.f. ex M.A.Lawson * '' Ziziphus attopensis'' Pierre * ''

Ziziphus budhensis ''Ziziphus budhensis'' is a species of plant in the family Rhamnaceae endemic to the Temal region of Kavrepalanchok in Bagmati Province. Description The tree grows to be eight to ten meters tall. It is dimorphic. The sterile branches have long ...

'' Bhattarai & Pathak (Central Nepal) * '' Ziziphus cambodiana'' Pierre (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam) * '' Ziziphus celata'' Judd & Hall (Florida, USA) * ''

Ziziphus cotinifolia ''Ziziphus'' is a genus of about 40 species of spiny shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae, distributed in the warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions of the world. The leaves are alternate, entire, with three promi ...

'' Reissek * '' Ziziphus fungii'' Merr. * '' Ziziphus funiculosa'' Buch.-Ham. ex M.A.Lawson * '' Ziziphus guaranitica'' Malme * '' Ziziphus havanensis'' Kunth * '' Ziziphus horrida'' Roth * '' Ziziphus hutchinsonii'' (Philippines) * ''

Ziziphus incurva ''Ziziphus incurva'' is a medium-sized tree from the family Rhamnaceae which gives edible fruit. It is found from 900 meters to 1600 meters altitude in eastern Nepal including Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nep ...

'' Roxb. * '' Ziziphus joazeiro'' Mart. * ''

Ziziphus jujuba Jujube (), sometimes jujuba, known by the scientific name ''Ziziphus jujuba'' and also called red date, Chinese date, and Chinese jujube, is a species in the genus ''Ziziphus'' in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. Description It is a small ...

'' Mill. – Jujube * '' Ziziphus laui'' Merr. * '' Ziziphus lotus'' ( L.) Lam. (Mediterranean region) * '' Ziziphus mairei'' Dode * '' Ziziphus mauritiana'' Lam. (Widespread through Old World tropics and subtropics) * '' Ziziphus melastomoides'' Pittier * ''

Ziziphus mexicana ''Ziziphus'' is a genus of about 40 species of spiny shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae, distributed in the warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions of the world. The leaves are alternate, entire, with three promi ...

'' Rose * ''

Ziziphus mistol ''Ziziphus mistol'' or mistol is a spiniferous tree of the family Rhamnaceae, that belongs to genus '' Ziziphus'', natural (and very abundant) of certain areas of Gran Chaco, South America. The word "mistol" derives from colonial era Spanish, fr ...

'' Griseb. ( Gran Chaco of South America) * '' Ziziphus montana'' W.W.Smith * '' Ziziphus mucronata'' Willd. – Buffalo Thorn (Southern Africa) * '' Ziziphus napeca'' * ''

Ziziphus nummularia ''Ziziphus nummularia'', commonly known as wild jujube or jhahrberi in Hindi, is a species of ''Ziziphus'' native to the Thar Desert of western India and southeastern Pakistan, south Iran, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Zimbabwe. ''Ziziphus nummular ...

'' (Burm.f.) Wight & Arn. ( Thar Desert of South Asia) * ''

Ziziphus obtusifolia ''Ziziphus obtusifolia'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckthorn family known by several common names, including lotebush, graythorn, gumdrop tree, and Texas buckthorn. Distribution The plant is native to the South Central and Southwest ...

'' (Hook. ex Torr. & A.Gray) A.Gray – Lotebush * ''

Ziziphus oenoplia ''Ziziphus oenopolia'', commonly known as the jackal jujube, small-fruited jujube or wild jujube, is a flowering plant with a broad distribution through tropical and subtropical Asia and Australasia. In India, it is mostly found in the deciduo ...

'' (L.) Mill. * '' Ziziphus oxyphylla'' Edgew. * '' Ziziphus parryi'' Torr. – Parry's Jujube * ''

Ziziphus poilanei ''Ziziphus'' is a genus of about 40 species of spiny shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae, distributed in the warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions of the world. The leaves are alternate, entire, with three promi ...

'' Tardieu * '' Ziziphus platyphylla'' Reissek * ''

Ziziphus quadrilocularis ''Ziziphus quadrilocularis'' is a flowering plant endemic to Australia. Its name in the indigenous Wardaman language is Mardarrgu. Description It is a deciduous, spiny shrub or tree, growing to 2–12 m in height. It bears green and yellow flo ...

'' F.Muell. (Northern Australia) * '' Ziziphus robertsoniana'' * ''

Ziziphus rugosa ''Ziziphus rugosa'' is a species of tree in the family Rhamnaceae. ''Ziziphus rugosa'' is also known as zunna berry. And this fruit is also known as Churna fruit. It is a wild fruit. The tree is native to hills and mountains below altitude, in ...

'' * '' Ziziphus saeri'' Pittier * '' Ziziphus sativa'' Gaertn * '' Ziziphus spina-christi'' (L.) Desf. * '' Ziziphus talanai'' ( Blanco)

Merr. Elmer Drew Merrill (October 15, 1876 – February 25, 1956) was an American botanist and taxonomist. He spent more than twenty years in the Philippines where he became a recognized authority on the flora of the Asia-Pacific region. Through ...

( Philippines) * ''

Ziziphus trinervia ''Ziziphus'' is a genus of about 40 species of spiny shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae, distributed in the warm-temperate, Subtropics, subtropical and tropical regions of the world. The leaf, leaves are alternate, entire ...

'' (Cav.) Poir. * '' Ziziphus undulata'' Reissek * '' Ziziphus vulgaris'' Lamarck – Hinap ( Bulgaria) * '' Ziziphus xiangchengensis'' Y.L.Chen & P.K.Chou * ''

Ziziphus xylopyrus ''Ziziphus'' is a genus of about 40 species of spiny shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae, distributed in the warm-temperate, Subtropics, subtropical and tropical regions of the world. The leaf, leaves are alternate, entire ...

'' (Retz.) Willd. :List sources:

Fossil species

† A dagger, obelisk, or obelus is a typographical mark that usually indicates a footnote if an asterisk has already been used. The symbol is also used to indicate death (of people) or extinction (of species). It is one of the modern descendan ...

'' Ziziphus hyperboreus'' Heer ( Greenland, Eocene fossil) *

'' Ziziphus wyomingianis''

Berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

(Tipperary, Wind River Basin Wyoming, USA, Eocene fossil) :† =

Extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

Gallery

File:Ziziphus zizyphus foliage.jpg, ''Ziziphus jujuba'' foliage File:Ziziphus jujuba MS 2461.JPG, Dried fruits (azufaifas) in southern Spain of ''Ziziphus jujuba'' File:Azufaifas fcm.jpg, Azufaifas from Almería File:Indian jujube (fruit).jpg, '' Ziziphus mauritiana'' File:Ziziphus oenoplia W IMG 3626.jpg, ''

'' in Shamirpet, Rangareddy district, Andhra Pradesh, India. File:Ziziphus oenoplia W2 IMG 3624.jpg, ''Ziziphus oenoplia'' in Shamirpet, Rangareddy district, Andhra Pradesh, India. File:Ziziphus spina-Christi.jpg, '' Ziziphus spina-christi'' File:Ziziphus caracutta syn Z xylopyra (Ghatbor) in Vanasthalipuram, Hyderabad, AP W IMG 9259.jpg, ''

'' in Hyderabad, India. File:Ziziphus caracutta syn Z xylopyra (Ghatbor) in Vanasthalipuram, Hyderabad, AP W IMG 9256.jpg, ''Ziziphus xylopyrus'' in Hyderabad, India. File:Ziziphus caracutta syn Z xylopyra (Ghatbor) in Vanasthalipuram, Hyderabad, AP W IMG 9255.jpg, ''Ziziphus xylopyrus'' in Hyderabad, India. File:Iran Zizyphus.JPG, ''Persian Zizyphus'' in Iran File:شکوفه درخت کنار، بهبهان.jpg, alt=Ziziphus Blossom in Behbahan, Iran, Ziziphus

Blossom In botany, blossoms are the flowers of stone fruit trees (genus ''Prunus'') and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring. Colloquially, flowers of orange are referred to as such as wel ...

in Behbahan, Iran File:میوه درخت کنار، بهبهان.jpg, alt=Ziziphus Fruit, Behbahan, Iran, Ziziphus Fruit, Behbahan, Iran

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q310492 Rhamnaceae genera Taxa named by Philip Miller