''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

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s 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 In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

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 In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

, others

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are small, inconspicuous yellow-green. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

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 Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

from Hellenistic Greek, where it is presumed to have been borrowed from another language, perhaps from ''zizfum'' or ''zizafun'', the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

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 Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

, '' Ziziphus lotus'' from the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

region, and ber ('' Ziziphus mauritiana''), which is found from western

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. '' Ziziphus joazeiro'' grows in the

Caatinga Caatinga (, ) is a type of semi-arid tropical vegetation, and an ecoregion characterized by this vegetation in interior northeastern Brazil. The name "Caatinga" is a Tupi word meaning "white forest" or "white vegetation" (''caa'' = forest, v ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. '' 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 United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. 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 In Spermatophyte plants, seed dispersal is the movement, spread or transport of seeds away from the parent plant. Plants have limited mobility and rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their seeds, including both abiotic vectors, ...

is carried out by mammals or

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

es. 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

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

, living in Mediterranean humid climate. The deciduous ''Ziziphus'' species lose all of their

for part of the year depending on variations in

rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

fall. In deciduous species in tropical, subtropical, and arid regions, leaf loss coincides with the

dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The te ...

. 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

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...

(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 Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. They may have difficulty falling asleep, or staying asleep as long as desired. Insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, ...

and heart

palpitation Palpitations are perceived abnormalities of the heartbeat characterized by awareness of cardiac muscle contractions in the chest, which is further characterized by the hard, fast and/or irregular beatings of the heart. Symptoms include a rapi ...

Mythology

The mythological

lotus tree The lotus tree ( grc-gre, λωτός, ''lōtós'') is a plant that is referred to in stories from Greek and Roman mythology. The lotus tree is mentioned in Homer's ''Odyssey'' as bearing a fruit that caused a pleasant drowsiness, and which was sai ...

which occurs in

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

's ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major Ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek Epic poetry, epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by moder ...

'' 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 ''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 ...

'' 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'' 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 The Gran Chaco or Dry Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semiarid lowland natural region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, western Paraguay, northern Argentina, and a portion of the Brazilian states of Mato Gro ...

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 The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is an arid region in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent, Subcontinent that covers an area of and forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan. It is the world's Li ...

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 ''Ziziphus parryi'' is a species of flowering plant in the buckthorn family known by the common name Parry's jujube. Distribution The plant is native to the Colorado Desert and southern Mojave Desert, and to the eastern slopes of the Peninsular ...

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

Ziziphus saeri ''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 ...

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

Ziziphus talanai ''Ziziphus talanai'', with common names are balakat, aligamen, and talanai, is a species of tree in the family Rhamnaceae. Distribution ''Ziziphus talanai'' is endemic to Luzon and Visayas, in the Philippines, The tree is found in the Philippin ...

'' ( 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 The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

) * ''

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 Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

) * '' 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

* † '' Ziziphus hyperboreus'' Heer (

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''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,

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 Almería (, , ) is a city and municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of the same name. It lies on southeastern Iberia on the Mediterranean Sea. Caliph Abd al-Rahman III founded the city in 955. The city gr ...

File:Indian jujube (fruit).jpg, '' Ziziphus mauritiana'' File:Ziziphus oenoplia W IMG 3626.jpg, ''

'' in

Shamirpet Shamirpet is a major revenue village panchayat, and also a suburb of Hyderabad city and district headquarters of Medchal-Malkajgiri district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is also the mandal headquarter of Shamirpet mandal in Keesara reven ...

, Rangareddy district,

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

. 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 Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the '' de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern In ...

. 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 Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

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

Fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

, Behbahan,

References

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