''Ziziphus nummularia'', commonly known as wild jujube or jhahrberi in Hindi, is a species of ''

Ziziphus ''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 ...

'' native to the

Thar Desert The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is an arid region in the north-western part of the Subcontinent that covers an area of and forms a natural boundary between India and Pakistan. It is the world's 20th-largest desert, a ...

of western

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 ...

and southeastern

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

, south

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 ...

, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Zimbabwe. ''Ziziphus nummularia'' is a shrub up to or more high, branching to form a thicket. The leaves are rounded like those of ''

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 sma ...

'' but differ from those in having a pubescence on the adaxial surface. The plant is commonly found in arid areas, hills, plains, and agricultural fields.

Description

''Ziziphus nummularia'' is a much-branched, widely-spreading, thorny bush or shrub up to tall. The branches and twigs have a velvety texture and a pale purplish colour. The lateral roots are long and spread deeply into the substrate. The alternately arranged leaves are simple and ovate, long, with serrate margins; the upper surface of the blade is dark green and glossy, and the under surface is white and downy. The stipules are often replaced by a pair of brown spines, one short, down-curving hook, the other long, robust, and straight. The inflorescence is a cyme, the individual pale yellow flowers being bisexual with parts in fives, and often having no petals. They are followed by small red or blackish drupes not exceeding in diameter, containing a hard stone, inside which there are usually two seeds.

Distribution and habitat

''Ziziphus nummularia'' is native to India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Lebanon and Zimbabwe. It is tolerant of a range of habitats including hillsides, plains, ravines, cultivated areas and sand dunes. On the sandy hills of southern

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

, it is associated with ''

Euphorbia caducifolia ''Euphorbia caducifolia'' is a subtropical succulent species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is found in India where it is known as the leafless milk hedge. Description ''Euphorbia caducifolia'' forms a dense, branching bush ...

'', '' Butea monosperma'', ''

Millettia pinnata ''Millettia pinnata'' is a species of tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, native to eastern and tropical Asia, Australia, and Pacific islands. It is often known by the synonym '' Pongamia pinnata''. Its common names include Indian beech and Pongam ...

'', '' Syzygium hyrianium'' and ''

Wrightia tinctoria ''Wrightia tinctoria'', Pala indigo plant or dyer's oleander, is a flowering plant species in the genus ''Wrightia'' found in India, southeast Asia and Australia. It is found in dry and moist regions in its distribution. Various parts of the plan ...

''.

Uses

''Ziziphus nummularia'' has been used for erosion control, reducing wind damage, and allowing deposited material to stabilise, forming a

microhabitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

that enables other plants such as

grasses Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns ...

to grow. The shrub sends up many suckers from the root system and can be planted to form a windbreak, sometimes in association with '' Crotalaria burhia''. The timber is used in building construction and to make farm implements, and it also makes good fuel and charcoal. The leaves can provide forage for livestock; in India they are picked, dried, and stored, producing about dried foliage per hectare. The fruits are edible, sweet, and acidic. They can be eaten raw, pickled, dried, or used to make confectionery. Rats and

gerbil The Mongolian gerbil or Mongolian jird (''Meriones unguiculatus'') is a small rodent belonging to the subfamily Gerbillinae. Their body size is typically , with a tail, and body weight , with adult males larger than females. The animal is us ...

s are also attracted to the fruit, which can therefore be used in poison baits to attract the rodents.

References

Medias

File:Ziziphus nummularia1.jpg File:Ziziphus nummularia2.jpg File:Ziziphus nummularia3.jpg File:Ziziphus nummularia4.jpg File:Ziziphus nummularia6.jpg File:برگ ربنیک، بهبهان.jpg, alt=Ziziphus Nummularia Leaf in Behbahan, Iran, Ziziphus Nummularia Leaf in

Behbahan Behbahan ( fa, بهبهان, also romanized as Behbahān and Behbehān) is a city and capital of Behbahan County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. Etymology The origin of the name "Behbahan" may be from two words: "Beh" meaning good better, and "Baha ...

, Iran File:برگ درختچه ربنیک، بهبهان.jpg, alt=Ziziphus Nummularia Leaf, Behbahan, Iran, Ziziphus Nummularia Leaf,

File:ربنیک نیم‌خورده و خشکیده، بهبهان.jpg, alt=Half-Eaten Dried Ziziphus Nummularia Fruit, Behbahan, Half-Eaten Dried Ziziphus Nummularia Fruit,

{{- nummularia Flora of India (region) Flora of Iran Flora of Pakistan Flora of Qatar Plants used in Ayurveda Taxa named by Nicolaas Laurens Burman