Jujube

It is a small deciduous tree or shrub reaching a height of {{convert|5|–|12|m|abbr=off}}, usually with thorny branches. The leaves are shiny-green, ovate-acute, {{convert|2|–|7|cm|abbr=off|frac=4}} long and {{cvt|1|–|3|cm|frac=8}} wide, with three conspicuous veins at the base, and a finely toothed margin. The flowers are small, {{convert|5|mm|frac=8}} wide, with five inconspicuous yellowish-green petals. The fruit is an edible oval drupe {{cvt|1.5|–|3|cm|frac=8}} deep; when immature it is smooth-green, with the consistency and taste of an apple with lower acidity, maturing brown to purplish-black, and eventually wrinkled, looking like a small date. There is a single hard kernel, similar to an olive pit, containing two seeds.

{{gallery|mode=packed

|Ziziphus jujuba1.jpg|Bark

|Zizyphus jujuba Blanco1.59.png|Plate from the book Flora de Filipinas

|Alb-Z. jujuba-leav-4.jpg|Leaf margin

|Alb-Z. jujuba-flow-8.jpg|Flowers

|Alb-Z. jujuba-flow-2.jpg|Close-up of flowers

|Alb-Z. jujuba-fruit-2.jpg|Fruit

||Raw fruit in Bangladesh

|Ziziphus zizyphus fruit inside.jpeg|Fruit cross section

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Leaves contain saponin and ziziphin, which suppresses the ability to perceive sweet taste.{{cite journal |last=Kurihara |first=Y. |year=1992 |title=Characteristics of antisweet substances, sweet proteins, and sweetness-inducing proteins |journal=Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr |volume=32 |issue=3 |pages=231–252 |doi=10.1080/10408399209527598 |pmid=1418601 }}

Flavinoids found in the fruits include Kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside, Quercetine 3-O-robinobioside, Quercetine 3-O-rutinoside. Terpenoids such as colubrinic acid and alphitolic acid were found in the fruits.{{cite journal |last1=Mahajan |first1=R. |last2=Chopda |first2=M. |date=8 August 2017 |title=Phyto-Pharmacology of Ziziphus jujuba Mill- A Plant Review |journal=Pharmacognosy Reviews |pages=320–329 |s2cid=93775396 }}

The ultimate source of the name is Ancient Greek {{lang|grc|ζίζυφον}} zízyphon.{{Cite web |first1=Henry George |last1=Liddell |first2=Robert |last2=Scott |title=A Greek-English Lexicon, ζίζυ^φον |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=zi/zufon |access-date=13 February 2023 |website=www.perseus.tufts.edu }} This was borrowed into Classical Latin as {{lang|la|zizyphum}} (used for the fruit) and {{lang|la|zizyphus}} (the tree). A descendant of the Latin word into a Romance language, which may have been French {{lang|fr|jujube}} or medieval Latin {{lang|la|jujuba}}, in turn gave rise to the common English jujube.{{Cite OED|jujube }} This name is not related to jojoba, which is a loan from Spanish {{lang|es|jojoba}}, itself borrowed from hohohwi, the name of that plant in the Oʼodham language.{{Cite OED|jojoba }}

The binomial name has a complex history, due to a combination of botanical naming regulations, and variations in spelling. It was first named in the binomial system by Carl Linnaeus as Rhamnus zizyphus, in Species Plantarum (1753). Philip Miller, in his Gardener's Dictionary, considered that the jujube and its relatives were sufficiently distinct from Rhamnus to be placed in a separate genus (as it had already been by the pre-Linnaean author Tournefort in 1700), and in the 1768 edition he gave it the name Ziziphus jujuba (using Tournefort's spelling for the genus name). For the species name, he used a different name, as tautonyms (repetition of exactly the same name in the genus and species) are not permitted in botanical naming. However, because of Miller's slightly different spelling, the combination of the earlier species name (from Linnaeus) with the new genus, Ziziphus zizyphus, is not a tautonym, and was therefore permitted as a botanical name. This combination was made by Hermann Karsten in 1882.Clarke, D. L. (1988). W. J. Bean Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles, Supplement. John Murray {{ISBN|0-7195-4443-2}}. In 2006, a proposal was made to suppress the name Ziziphus zizyphus in favor of Ziziphus jujuba,{{cite journal |last1=Kirkbride |first1=Joseph H. |last2=Wiersma |first2=John H. |last3=Turland |first3=Nicholas J. |year=2006 |title=(1753) Proposal to conserve the name Ziziphus jujuba against Z. zizyphus (Rhamnaceae) |journal=Taxon |publisher=International Association for Plant Taxonomy |volume=55 |issue=4 |pages=1049–1050 |doi=10.2307/25065716 |jstor=25065716 }} and this proposal was accepted in 2011.{{cite journal |last1=Barrie |first1=Fred R. |year=2011 |title=Report of the General Committee: 11 |journal=Taxon |publisher=International Association for Plant Taxonomy |volume=60 |issue=4 |pages=1211–1214 |doi=10.1002/tax.604026 |doi-access=free }} Ziziphus jujuba is thus the correct scientific name for this species.

Its precise natural distribution is uncertain due to extensive cultivation. However, its origin is thought to be in southwest Asia, between Lebanon, northern India, and southern and central China, and possibly also southeastern Europe though more likely introduced there.Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins {{ISBN|0-00-220013-9}}. It grows wild but is also a garden shrub, kept for its fruit.

The tree tolerates a wide range of temperatures and rainfall, though it requires hot summers and sufficient water for acceptable fruiting. Unlike most of the other species in the genus, it tolerates fairly cold winters, surviving temperatures down to about {{convert|−15|°C}}, and the tree is, for instance, commonly cultivated in Beijing. This wide tolerance enables the jujube to grow in mountain or desert habitats, provided there is access to underground water throughout the summer. The jujube (Z. jujuba) grows in cooler regions of Asia. Five or more other species of Ziziphus are widely distributed in milder climates to hot deserts of Asia and Africa.S. Chaudhary. "Rhamnaceae" in: S. Chaudhary (Ed). Flora of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Vol II (Part One) 2001.

This plant has been introduced in Madagascar and grows as an invasive species in the western part of the island, threatening mostly protected areas. It is cultivated in parts of southern California.{{cite web |title=JUJUBE |url=https://crfg.org/?s=jujube |website=www.crfg.org |date=23 March 2023 }}

File:Jujube dates worm2.jpg

Witch's broom, prevalent in China and Korea, is the main disease affecting jujubes, though plantings in North America currently are not affected by any pests or diseases.Fruit Facts: [http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/jujube.html Jujube] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961101124759/http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/jujube.html |date=1 November 1996 }} In Europe, the last several years have seen some 80%–90% of the jujube crop eaten by insect larvae (see picture), including those of the false codling moth, Thaumatotibia (Cryptophlebia) leucotreta.{{cite web |title=Fact Sheet: False codling moth - Citrus Pests |url=http://idtools.org/id/citrus/pests/factsheet.php?name=False+codling+moth |website=idtools.org }}

In Madagascar, it is widely eaten by free-ranging zebus, and its seeds grow easily in zebu feces.

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Jujube was domesticated in South Asia by 9000 BC.Gupta, Anil K. [http://repository.ias.ac.in/21961/1/333.pdf "Origin of agriculture and domestication of plants and animals linked to early Holocene climate amelioration"], Current Science, Vol. 87, No. 1, 10 July 2004, 54-59. Indian Academy of Sciences. Over 400 cultivars have been selected.

The fruit, when the plant is kept as a garden shrub, is picked in the autumn.

• Chico (also called GI 7-62) developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the 1950s
• Li, major commercial variety in the US
• Shanxi li, very large fruit
• Lang, major commercial variety in the US
• Sherwood
• Silverhill (also known as Yu and Tigertooth) can be grown in areas with high humidity
• So
• Shui Men
• GA 866{{cite web |url=https://garden.org/plants/group/jujubes/ |title=Jujubes: Plant Care and Collection of Varieties |website=garden.org |author=Edward T. Hager |access-date=5 July 2017 }}
• Honey jar, small juicy fruit
• Sugar cane
• Winter delight, major commercial variety in China

File:HK 紅磡 Hung Hom Cheong Wan Road 置富都會 Fortune Metropolis 商場 shopping mall shop 彩福皇宴 Choi Fook Royal Banquet Seafood Restaurant food 飯後租品 dessert 紅棗糕 steamed red dates cake November 2022 Px3 02.jpg]]

Freshly harvested and candied dried fruit are often eaten as a snack or with coffee. Smoked jujubes are consumed in Vietnam and are referred to as black jujubes.{{Cite web |url=http://www.seasonalchef.com/jujubes.htm |title=Rare Fruit: Jujubes |publisher=Seasonalchef.com |access-date=1 August 2010 |archive-date=29 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129185256/http://seasonalchef.com/jujubes.htm |url-status=dead }} A drink can be made by crushing the pulp in water.{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/277203364 |title=The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing |author=United States Department of the Army |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-60239-692-0 |location=New York |pages=45 |language=en-US |oclc=277203364 }} Both China and Korea produce a sweetened tea syrup containing jujube fruit in glass jars, and canned jujube tea or jujube tea in the form of teabags. To a lesser extent, jujube fruit is made into juice and jujube vinegar (called 枣 醋 or 红枣 醋 in Chinese). They are used for making pickles (কুলের আচার) in west Bengal and Bangladesh. In Assam it is known as "Bogori" and the pickle, Bogori aachar (বগৰি আচাৰ), is famous. In China, a wine made from jujube fruit is called hong zao jiu (红枣酒).

Sometimes pieces of jujube fruit are preserved by storing them in a jar filled with baijiu (Chinese liquor), which allows them to be kept fresh for a long time, especially through the winter. Such jujubes are called zui zao (醉枣; literally "drunk jujube"). The fruit is also a significant ingredient in a wide variety of Chinese delicacies (e.g. 甑糕 jing gao, a steamed rice cake).

In Vietnam and Taiwan, fully mature, nearly ripe fruit is harvested and sold on the local markets and also exported to Southeast Asian countries. The dried fruit is used in desserts in China and Vietnam, such as ching bo leung, a cold beverage that includes the dried jujube, longan, fresh seaweed, barley, and lotus seeds.{{Cite book |last=Lim |first=T. K. |year=2013 |title=Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants |volume=5, Fruits |publisher=Springer Science+Business Media |location=Dordrecht |isbn=978-9400756526 |pages=580 }}

In Korea, jujubes are called daechu (대추) and are used in daechucha, yakshik and samgyetang.

On his visit to Medina, the 19th-century English explorer, Sir Richard Burton, observed that the local variety of jujube fruit was widely eaten. He describes its taste as like "a bad plum, an unripe cherry, and an insipid apple". He gives the local names for three varieties as "Hindi (Indian), Baladi (native), Tamri (date-like)."Burton, Sir Richard Francis (1855) A Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah and Meccah pp.404,405 A hundred years ago, a close variety was common in the Jordan valley and around Jerusalem. The bedouin valued the fruit, calling it nabk. It could be dried and kept for winter or made into a paste which was used as bread.Crowfoot, M. Grace with Louise Baldenserger (1932) From Cedar to Hyssop. A study in the Folklore of Plants in Palestine. The Sheldon Press, London. pp.112,113

In Persian cuisine, the dried drupes are known as annab, while in neighboring Armenia, it is commonly eaten as a snack, and is known as unab. Confusion in the common name apparently is widespread. The unab is Z. jujuba. Rather, ber is used for three other cultivated or wild species, e.g., Z. spina-christi, Z. mauritiana and Z. nummularia in parts of India and is eaten both fresh and dried.{{Clarification needed|reason=Which species?|date=June 2022}} The Arabic name sidr is used for Ziziphus species other than Z. jujuba.

Traditionally in India, the fruits are dried in the sun and the hard seeds removed, after which the dried flesh is pounded with tamarind, red chillies, salt, and jaggery. In some parts of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, fresh whole ripe fruit is crushed with the above ingredients and sun-dried to make cakes called ilanthai vadai or regi vadiyalu (Telugu).{{Cite web |url=http://www.kamalascorner.com/2008/12/indian-jujube-elanthai-pazham.html |title=Kamala's Corner: Indian Jujube – Elanthai Pazham |date=25 December 2008 |publisher=Kamalascorner.com |access-date=1 August 2010 }} It is also commonly consumed as a snack.

In Northern and Northeastern India the fruit is eaten fresh with salt and chilli flakes and also preserved as candy, jam or pickle with oil and spices.

In Madagascar, jujube fruit is eaten fresh or dried. People also use it to make jam. A jujube honey is produced in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.

Italy has an alcoholic syrup called brodo di giuggiole.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20231204-the-tiny-italian-town-that-drinks-like-ancient-rome-and-greece |title=The tiny Italian town that drinks like ancient Rome and Greece |website=www.bbc.com }}

In Croatia, especially Dalmatia, jujubes are used in marmalades, juices, and rakija (fruit brandy).

In Senegal and The Gambia, Jujube is called Sii dem or Ceedem, and the fruit is used as snack and also turned into a dried paste favoured as a sweetmeat by schoolchildren. More recently it has been processed and sold in Dakar by women.

In Australia jujube beer is made.{{cite news |last1=Schremmer |first1=Jessica |title=Jujube growers find innovative ways to turn waste into sustainable new products |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-14/jujube-farmers-turn-waste-fruit-into-pantry-staple/12534778 |newspaper=ABC News |date=14 August 2020 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=8 May 2022 }}

The commercial jujube candy popular in movie theaters originally contained jujube juice but now uses other flavorings.

In Laoling, China, jujube juice and wine are made.{{Cite web |title=山东乐陵：科技发力，一颗小枣展现N种味道 |url=https://www.stdaily.com/web/gdxw/2024-09/08/content_226386.html |access-date=7 November 2024 |website=www.stdaily.com }}{{Cite web |last=Government |first=Information Office of LaoLing Municipal |title=China Laoling Deeply Cultivates the Jujube Industry, Driving Jujube Farmers to Increase Income and Become Rich |url=https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/china-laoling-deeply-cultivates-the-jujube-industry-driving-jujube-farmers-to-increase-income-and-become-rich-301644257.html |access-date=7 November 2024 |website=www.prnewswire.co.uk |language=en }}

{{more medical citations needed|section|date=October 2012}}The fruit and its seeds are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Kampo for many purposes. Some investigational research indicates possibilities related to their traditional use to alleviate stress{{cite journal |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10298-008-0362-7 |doi=10.1007/s10298-008-0362-7 |title=Mise en évidence d'un effet psychotrope de la teinture mère de Zizyphus jujuba Mill |year=2009 |last1=Goetz |first1=P. |journal=Phytothérapie |volume=7 |pages=31–36 |s2cid=34867692 }} and for sedation.{{cite journal |url=https://www.americanbiosciences.com/pdf/Ziziphusstudy.pdf |title=Comparison of the sedative and hypnotic effects of flavonoids, saponins, and polysaccharides extracted from Semen Ziziphus jujube |year=2007 |last1=Jiang |first1=Jian-Guo |last2=Huang |first2=Xiao-Juan |last3=Chen |first3=Jian |last4=Lin |first4=Qing-Sheng |journal=Natural Product Research |volume=21 |issue=4 |pages=310–320 |pmid=17479419 |s2cid=7886008 |doi=10.1080/14786410701192827 }} In these systems, it is also believed to have uses as an antiseptic/antifungal agent, anti-inflammatory, contraceptive, and muscle relaxer. It is also thought to help in regulation of blood pressure, stimulate the immune system, prevent ulcers and aid in wound healing. Jujube fruit is also combined with other herbs to treat colds and influenza. It is used to protect and heal the kidneys, heart, and spleen. Jujube is also one of the ingredients used in Chinese medicine to modulate the effects of other herbs, preventing overpowering effects or clashing properties.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024|reason=Needs citations to support any description as effective medication and for these being the uses in this system.}}

The fruit contains many different healthy properties like vitamins and amino acids{{Citation needed|date=August 2024|reason=Nutritional info should be relatively easy to find if this is true, but is not included here.}}.

In Japan, the natsume has given its name to a style of tea caddy used in the Japanese tea ceremony, due to the similar shape.{{cite book |last=Martin |first=Laura C. |title=Tea: the Drink that Changed the World |year=2007 |publisher=Tuttle |location=Rutland, Vermont |isbn=978-0-8048-3724-8 |page=91 }} Its hard, oily wood was, along with pear, used for woodcuts to print books starting in the 8th century and continuing through the 19th in China and neighboring countries. As many as 2000 copies could be produced from one jujube woodcut.{{Cite web |title=edX Course: HarvardX: HUM1.3x Print and Manuscript in Western Europe, Asia and the Middle East (1450-1650) > Comparandum: Printing in East Asia > Main Technology: Xylography |url=https://www.edx.org/course/the-book-print-and-manuscript-in-western-europe-as |access-date=13 February 2023 |website=edX |language=en }}{{verification needed|date=June 2023}}

The timber is sometimes used for small items, such as tuning pegs for instruments. Select grade Jujube timber is often used in traditional Asian instruments for fingerboard, pegs, rests & soundposts, ribs & necks etc. It has a medium to hard density similar to luthier grade European maple and has excellent tonal qualities. Jujube Wood can be found in local folk instruments from Ceylon/India thru to China/Korea; it is also commonly used in China in violin & cello making for overseas export, though usually stained black to imitate the look of ebony.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024|reason=This whole paragraph could easily be a related topic of interest, but there is no way to verify or explore it further.}}

In Arabic-speaking regions the jujube and alternatively the species Z. lotus are closely related to the lote-trees (sing. سدرة sidrah, pl. سدر sidr) which are mentioned in the Quran,Abdullah, Yusuf Ali (1946) The Holy Qur-an. Text, Translation and Commentary, Qatar National Printing Press. p.1139, n. 3814.{{cite web |author=Stephen Lambden |title=The Sidrah (Lote-Tree) and the Sidrat al-Muntaha (Lote-Tree of the Extremity): Some Apects of their Islamic and Bābī-Bahā'ī Iintepretations. |url=http://www.hurqalya.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/baha'i%20encyclopedia/SIDRAH-SIDRAT-BE.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040906133000/http://www.hurqalya.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/baha'i%20encyclopedia/SIDRAH-SIDRAT-BE.htm |archive-date=6 September 2004 |access-date=9 December 2015 |quote=This is apparently the wild jujube or Zizyphus spina-christi (Christ's thorn), a tall, stout, tropical tree (see image above) with dense prickly branches which produces a sweet reddish fruit similar to that of the jujube (the 'unnāb = Zizyphus vulgaris / fruit) }} while in Palestine the species Z. spina-christi is called sidr.{{cite wikisource |wslink=Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)/R-Z |last=Easton |first=Matthew George |title=Illustrated Bible Dictionary and Treasury of Biblical History, Biography, Geography, Doctrine, and Literature |publisher=T. Nelson and Sons |year=1893 |location=London, Edinburgh and New York |page=688 |author-link=Matthew George Easton |quote=It overruns a great part of the Jordan valley }}

An ancient jujube tree in the city Al-Qurnah, Iraq, is claimed by locals as the Tree of Knowledge mentioned in the Bible.{{Cite web |title=The Tree of Knowledge |url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tree-knowledge |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602025544/https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tree-knowledge |archive-date=2 June 2021 |access-date=14 July 2021 |website=Atlas Obscura |language=en }}{{failed verification|date=July 2021|reason=Article doesn't mention jujube and says tree is of unknown species}} Local tradition holds that the place where the city was built was the original site of the Garden of Eden (a passage in the Book of Genesis creation narrative says that a river flowed from the garden and split into Tigris and Euphrates rivers,{{Bibleverse|Genesis|2:10-2:14}}: "A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. [...] The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates." where the city is currently). The tree is a tourist spot in the town.

Jujube tree is important in Hinduism too as Vishnu is worshipped in a major temple, in Badrinath, from the Sanskrit compound Badarīnātha, consisting of the terms badarī (jujube tree) and nātha (lord), an epithet of Vishnu.{{Cite book |last=Books |first=Kausiki |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UvxLEAAAQBAJ&dq=badrinath+lord+jujube&pg=PT13 |title=Skanda Purana: Vaishnava Khanda: Badrinath Kshetra Mahatmya: English Translation only without Slokas |date=24 October 2021 |publisher=Kausiki Books |pages=13 |language=en }} It is also known as Badarikashrama.

• {{annotated link|Date palm}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• Fruits of Warm Climates. Julia. F. Morton, Yan Lin Aung, FL: 1986.

{{Commons category|Ziziphus jujuba|position=left}}

• [https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1932/1 Nutritional data for the jujube]

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Category:Ziziphus

Category:Fruits originating in Asia

Category:Flora of temperate Asia

Category:Flora of tropical Asia

Category:Trees of Mediterranean climate

Category:Dietary supplements

Category:Medicinal plants of Asia

Category:Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine

Category:Iranian cuisine

Category:Plants described in 1753

Category:Garden plants of Asia

Category:Ornamental trees

Category:Drought-tolerant trees

Category:Drupes